Just Another Wolf-Love Story
by LizzyDeviya
Summary: Moving back to Beacon Hills was hard for Evy and her little sister, Ella. After the death of their brother and his partner Laura they felt an empty void which only could be patched up by moving back to their hometown. Laura's brother Derek Hale living in the same town as them would become tricky. Evy's only "family" left is the Stilinskys. Disclaimer: I do not own anything- fanmade
1. Surprise surprise!

«Evy», Ella said, «I can't find my stuff. Where are my boxes?". I looked at the mess we'd made of placing our boxes in our new home. When we left our old house it seemed like we'd left almost everything behind. All those little things, all those valuable memories seemed to be too much to carry back. But coming back to Beacon Hills, coming back to our first home, would be enough to restore any nostalgic feeling – but now that I really got to look around it seemed like there really wasn't much left behind. "I put your boxes in the kitchen. Are you settling in alright?" I asked hoping that my little sister didn't despise me too much for making her move across the country. "Oh. Well, yeah, I think it's OK. It feels a bit uncomfortable though. Like we're forgetting them by just moving on", a tear welled up in her eye as she answered. "I think they'd be happy that we moved back. We all grew up here, and I think they'd like to pass their childhood memories on. Besides, this is all we've got now, Ella. And it's the closest we'll get to family", I said looking at the crib which was temporarily placed in front of me, in the living room. Beacon Hills was the only home for me, and I knew that even though she'd have to leave her previous life, Ella would be thrilled to reconnect with her old friends, her best friends. "I got to start unpacking the rest, would you keep an eye for me", I said as I got up from our new couch to start unpacking our life once again.

"Morning, sweety", I said as Ella walked in the kitchen. "We're leaving in a half an hour". "Uhm.. Do I have to come? I mean, I could stay here and.. Continue unpacking", she said trying to avoid eye-contact. "I thought you'd be excited to see your best friend again – why don't you want to come?", Ella looked like she'd eat dirt rather than answering me. "I just.. I don't think I'd know what to say. I mean.. I just need a day back without distractions to wrap my head around all this", she excused herself. "Sure, of course, I'm sorry – moving back is great, it's the best, but under the worst circumstances", I finished. It had been months since the accident, but it hadn't really gotten any better. I hoped that coming back to old friends might be better. I guess there's only one way to find out.

(KNOCK KNOCK)

"I'm not getting that", I could hear the voice of the innocent rug-rat through the door. A tall man, greyer looking than I can remember stood in the doorway with his mouth wide open. "Evelyn Hallock! Oh my! What are you.. I mean you weren't coming back before December!", he said as he reached out for a hug. "We decided we'd been away long enough. We missed you Mr. Stillinsky", I said teary eyed as I hugged him. "Evy? EVY? Is that you?!", I expected the same 14-year old to greet me. My mistake. "Stiles! Whoa. What happen to you? You look. Well, honey, you're grown up!", I said surprised at how grown up, and handsome that boy had become. The teen leaped towards me, throwing his arms around me. "I've missed you. I've missed Ella. Where is she?" he asked searching for my little sister behind me. "She's not here. She had to stay back and unpack the rest of our stuff. But she said she misses you!" I added on to what Ella wanted me to say. "But I did bring another little Hallock for you though" I said as I rolled the stroller from the porch in to the house. The little baby beamed at all the attention he was getting as Stiles reached down to pick him up. "Whoa, you weren't this big in the pictures, little man" Stiles said in a rather childish voice. "He looks just like his father" the sheriff said as we walked in the kitchen leaving Stiles and the baby in the living room, parked in front of some Disney movie on the TV. "I think he looks more like his mother, that big smile and those green eyes" I trailed off looking at the floor. "I'm so sorry to hear about Bryan, and Laura" he added. " I know I never met her, but I knew she meant a lot to you both. And all of this stuff lately and her uncle being the one to…" he mumbled as he spoke those last words. "How are you? How is Ella? This can't be easy on any of you. To lose a friend is hard enough, but to lose Bryan too. And in such a terrible accident" he said laying one hand on my shoulder. To all the inquiring minds my brother died in a car accident. To those who knew more – the truth was much worse than any accidental death. How do you tell someone that your brother died from trying to avenge his partner, his mate? "We're getting by. It's better now, being home and having you around" I said with a weak attempt to smile. "Well, I guess you've gone to see Derek Hale then? With the baby? Did that go well? I mean, he's not the easiest human being to communicate with…" Mr. Stilinsky continued. "What? No. I haven't had contact with him. Apparantly he lives upstate, I haven't found any contact information. And Laura never really mentioned exactly where he lives. I've never actually met him" I answered as I saw Stiles' head pop in the kitchen. He walked in with the baby hugging his neck. Stiles looked surprised , a tad worried though there was a hint of irony in his eyes. "Evy, Hale moved back to Beacon Hills after Laura died. He's been here ever since. As far as I know he spends his days out by the old Hale house. Probably fixing it up or something" the Sheriff explained. My mind froze for a second, not ready to process this new information. Laura's brother lives in Beacon Hills? The complicated thought took its time to find its way to my brain. "Uhm, I.. He lives here? Well, where? I didn't know Laura when we lived here. I met her by coincidence a few months after we left Beacon Hills" I explained. The sheriff obviously thought the Hallock-Hale bond went beyond Laura being my friend, and my brother becoming her partner. I guess if we were a regular family I probably would have met Derek before, but not once since I'd become friends with Laura had she ever introduced me to her brother. "I could show you" Stiles interrupted. "Yeah, you know since you're so busy all the time" he said as if he was doing his father a favor. Mr. Stilinsky stared at the boy intensely as if he was evaluating the situation – as if Stiles needed permission to help my find Hale. "I guess if you and Evy went together it wouldn't be a problem, but no trouble" he warned. "I don't want to arrest my own son" he continued. I was lost but the shock of finding out Laura's brother lived here stopped me from questioning the Stilinskys about their peculiar behavior.

"So could we stop by your place first? Ella can't hide for long" Stiles said smiling to himself. "Well, I was thinking maybe, if you know Derek, like personally. Maybe you could invite him to our place? I just think it could get weird if I just walk up to him. If we're at my place then at least he could leave if things got too difficult" I said trying not to give away any of my well-reasoned worries. Though I thought that was a clever way of expressing my qualms Stiles seemed to think about it, as if he understood me entirely. "What.. Why are you looking like you're thinking about something? It scares me" I half joked. "I just think Scott knows Derek a bit better, and should be the one to deliver the invite. I could text him the address to your place, he could meet us there?" Stiles suggested, the hyperactivity in him apparently boiling up, growing inside of him like he was trying to hold back his thoughts.

"Ella", I called out to my little sister as her feet appeared at the top steps of the staircase. "I was forced to bring a surprise" I said apologetically knowing that she had wanted to see Stiles in her own time. I sort of knew that her relationship with Stiles always had been marked with their own weird way of doing things. They used to be inseparable. Scott also being one of the tight trio, but Ella was never as close to him as she was to Stiles. Stiles used to be her #1 person in the whole world. "I'm going to Stiles' place, surprise him or something" she mumbled as her thin legs became more apparent. She had obviously cracked open the box labeled "Fancy/Nice/Summer" as her outfit matched every description on the box. Her short, white dress with flowers on made her look even more grown up then she already looked. "BEAT CHA TO IT", Stiles laughed as he half ran up the stairs. "Whoa", he stopped a couple steps in front of her. I could see the male in him work hard not to blurt out anything else. "You've changed" he said in a small voice. "She's a woman now" I said seeing Ella turn a bright shade of red. "So have you" Ella replied Stiles as she reached down and tucked her head between his neck and shoulder. _And we're safe, _I thought to myself as I saw Ella finally feel at home for the first time in a long time.

"Anyone home?" the brown eyed teen asked as he rushed in the house. "Good god, kid. Steroids are not safe" I laughed as I saw how well-built Scott had become over the time I was gone. "Evyyyyyy" he called as he hugged me. My whole body went tense - a second later so did his. I could smell it – so could he. I looked into the brown eyes that flashed for a moment before my own eyes involuntarily flashed.


	2. We need to talk about Laura

It took a lot of explaining, on both my side and Scotts, but we finally got through to eachother. Having heard all about Derek Hale, I wasn't too sure if I'd be able to handle meeting him – especially not here, where Ella was exposed. And the baby. The baby. The only reason I had to meet him was because of the baby, but now it seems dangerous. I can't tell him about the baby. I snapped out of all my wrong thoughts as the little boy started laughing at Scott making a funny face. Of course I had to tell him. Laura wanted him to know – she was going to tell him right after she had met Peter for whichever reason it was that he needed to speak to her. And now, now she'd left me alone here to tell him myself. "So you're like a wolfbabe?" Stiles pulled me back into reality, clearly focusing on not making eye-contact. "I know this is strange, and I wouldn't have worried you if it weren't for the fact that Ella probably would have told you anyway" I said apologetically. "Hey, no problemo, my friends turn wolfy all the time. I'm an expert on these previously non-existing mythical creatures" he said smiling, though I could hear the sarcastic undertone. "I think I should talk to Hale myself" I confessed after a moment of highly awkward 'I-just-found-out-you're-a-werewolf'-silence. "Just, give me the directions. I just really need to do this alone. I guess one could say it's a family matter" I finally managed to convince the boys to not follow me. "Just call me if anything comes up. I'll be back in not too long" I said as I kissed the baby boy goodbye and waved goodbye to Ella and the boys.

(KNOCK KNOCK)

My hands were sticky now. I could hear my breath racing itself. "Hello" I called out as I knocked on the old door once again. There was still no answer, but I could feel his presence. I could smell him, I could hear his heart beat slowly, I could feel his apathy. *SQUEEK* it didn't surprise me that the old door was unlocked. "Derek Hale?" I called out again. "My name is Evelyn Hallock. We need to talk" I said to the empty staircase.

*BOOM* I felt my head crash against the rotted wooden wall. "Who are you? Whose pack do you belong to?" Dereks eyes were all I can see in the sudden darkness. He could smell me too, and from the sound of his voice he knew that smell. "I don't belong to anyone" I said irritated as I twisted my body out of his grip. The sudden adrenaline in my body couldn't care less if this man was a feared Alpha. I could feel my fingernails growing longer by the second. I couldn't hold it much longer so I decided to leave. Sprinting to my car I could hear the footsteps follow into the evening light. "Who are you" he asked once again placing himself in front of the car door. His eyes grew as I told him that his sister was my alpha. "Why are you here?" was his next question. "I came because I just moved back to Beacon Hills. And I heard that you lived here. I was hoping we could talk. There are some things your sister didn't tell you about herself" I said trying to calm him down as his face grew more and more curious. Explaining to the wolf that his sister had a mate was hard enough – he couldn't seem to believe that she would ever settle down. "Well there's more" I continued. "My brother was killed, trying to avenge your sister's death. He killed a man who Peter had turned, who was Peter's personal bodyguard, and in turn Peter killed him" I choked out the last words, not daring to look Hale in the eyes. "And you're here because I'm supposed to feel sorry for you? And then what? Why do I have to know this?" Derek seemed angry that I'd taken up his time, but most of all he seemed hurt by the mention of his sister's life. "She wanted to tell you. She was going to tell you. She said she'd made contact before she left for Beacon Hills" I continued. "She did. But she's gone. And it doesn't matter now. There's no more to talk about" Derek said. "Well... There sorta is, Derek" I said slowly looking up. "Her mate wasn't the only new person she wanted to introduce to you. She'd finally built up the courage to tell you that.." I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. "That what? That she was happy? That she'd found a mate, and that she no longer was tormented by the memory of our family dying?" Derek yelled. A tear escaped my eye, I wasn't sure if that was because this conversation was shattering the already broken pieces of my heart or if it was because of the crushed look of the stranger standing in front of me. Even though he was yelling I could hear the cry of loss in his voice. "She's not all gone" I managed to whisper knowing that he would hear me. I felt like running. I could feel that Derek wasn't a bad person, but I couldn't stand being here with him discussing the death of our family members. But I had to. I needed him, as he would soon come to need me – after all we are the only family he has left now. "Come with me. Please. You need to see… You need to come with me. Your sister left something for you, for us" I said.

Derek stepped out of the black sports car and looked up at the big house. "What is it that I have to see?" he asked. I could see his jaws tighten as he held back the anger which had been triggered by the confusion and the mystery. I unlocked the front door and entered the house. "Derek?" Stiles asked surprised that I'd brought him with me. "What are you doing here?" Derek spat. "Stiles, who you obviously know well, is my little sisters best friend" I said motioning to Ella. She looked shattered. "Pleased to meet you, Derek. I.. I have to go" she finished as tears started to cascade down her face. "I should go after her.." Stiles said with worry in his eyes. I think I already knew that Ella wouldn't be ready to face reality. She wasn't ready to deal with the situation being that her little nephew had no parents, and that she didn't have a brother any longer. She wasn't ready for a stranger to be a part of the family that we had created. She wasn't ready to see Laura's eyes in that stranger. I looked at Derek, whose anger had seemed to transform into pure confusion. "What's going on?" he demanded. I walked over to the crib hidden in front of the couch and picked up the little baby. "Derek, Laura left a little something for us to remember her by" I said trying to dress my pain with a smile. "This is your nephew, Charlie Hale Hallock" I said looking down at the little baby. I could hear Derek's heartbeat pick up. I could see the disbelief in his eyes – almost as well as I could see the tears.


	3. Ernie

What just happen? I found my thoughts scattered all over the place. My mind was playing a crossword in its own time. "Derek" I asked considering whether or not I should pull him up. I didn't understand why he was on his knees. Stiles and Ella who I could hear were sitting on the stairs didn't understand why he was on his knees. In that moment I don't think even Derek knew why he was on his knees. But there he was – a stone sculpture with a sick heartbeat.  
"I think you killed him" I could hear Stiles chuckle from the stairs. I slowly got down while shot Stiles a strict look. "Derek" I leveled with him. "Honey, Ella, could you get a glass of water" I called out trying to think of a way to pull a werewolf out of shock.  
"Maybe you should slap him" Stiles suggested trying to ease up the situation as Ella disappeared to the kitchen.  
"Derek, I know this is hard and surprising, and wonderful and frightening, but it'll be OK. Just breathe" I comforted.

Derek got up quickly staring intensely at the child before giving me one quick look. And then he was gone. _So that didn't go as well as I hoped_, I thought as I straightened up. What was that about? I mean I knew that it would be hard to comprehend to some extent, but _wow_.  
The next few hours went passed pretty quick. Shortly after Hales exit Stiles headed home and I was left in an inquisitive state. Ella had excused herself after Stiles' departure after telling me that Derek would come around. What was there to come around? He couldn't neglect this information – I mean he has a heart? Left to my own curiosity sleep seemed miles away.

I was still in my PJ's when I heard a loud knock on the door. There stood the same stone sculpture before me as the day before. But this time he was carrying a dirty, fluffy ball in his hands.  
"Hi" he said apologetically. "Uhm hi.. I.. You want some breakfast?" I asked as no other words were to be found. He followed me into the kitchen. "So.. How are you? Any life-changing new information come your way lately?" I attempted to joke as I put down a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him. Baby Charlie squealed for attention drawing both our faces to him. I grabbed him out of his baby-seat quickly.  
"Here" Derek said with the same serious look on his face. "Erh.. Thanks?" I said taking the fluffy ball that looked like it had been ill-treated.  
"That's Ernie" Derek informed as if the balls name would explain everything. "He's an orange hamster" he continued. "He was Laura's once, and when I was born she gave him to me" he pointed at the newly identified hairball.  
"Oh, Derek" I said while putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to restrain myself from crying. _Ernie_, I thougt – I can't believe this. "So what do you feel about this _situation_?" I asked. "I mean. Would you like to get to know your nephew? Laura was going to tell you about him, but you're entitled to you reaction and you position" I continued.  
"Charlie is family. I don't disregard _family_" he answered in a responsible manner.  
This is not some _Godfather_ spin-off; this was real life we were talking about here. "I want to be a part of his life" Derek finished catching onto my trail of thoughts. I was slightly annoyed, but I could see the sincerity in his eyes. They were so innocent compared to the rest of his body. Who was I to deny the fact that this hot-tempered lone-wolf was attractive? I buried my thoughts quickly before plastering on a smile of consent.

"You can visit Charlie whenever you want" I said as I walked him out.  
"Sure. Yeah I'll do that" he said with an intense look on his face. I stood there in the doorway watching him drive off not fully grasping the events of the past 24 hours. The rest of the morning was spent trying to clean _Ernie_ without injuring him any further. Charlie seemed satisfied with his new stuffed animal and it pleased me that he welcomed the family" heirloom" into his little world. The thought of Derek's actions made me smile.

"That's all?" Ella exclaimed. Her voice high pitched in an annoyance of disappointed suspense.  
"Well, it's enough for me" I retorted feeling a bit insulted on behalf of Derek that she didn't see the value of Derek's visit.  
Ella seemed happier today than she had the last few days. I guess there's nothing like having Stiles around when you're blue. Regardless of what had changed her attitude, I was happy that she seemed more comfortable now. _That means it's time for school_, I thought to myself.  
"It's more than enough for being Derek. I mean this guy is practically made out of stone" Scott agreed closing the fridge behind him. I felt a bit bad for thinking lower of Derek earlier – but no one would have guessed this, not even Scott who was a part of his pack. Which triggered my curiosity; since Derek was now alpha what was my relation to him? I thought it would be better to address him directly about this matter, after all Scott was still young, and probably unaware of all the different complications of bonds in a pack.

I pulled up right in front of the old, rotted house. Why does he live here? _ How_ does he live here? "Derek?" I called as I walked through the open door. Something wasn't quite right by the smell of things.  
"How can I help you?" a blonde demanded entering the room in high-heals, tight pants and a tank-top. "Where's Derek Hale?" I asked alarmed by the stranger. Who was this girl? What had she done to Derek?  
"Derek!" a male voice called out, appearing behind the blonde. A brown haired boy with childlike eyes called for Derek as a child calls for their parent when the delivery-guy comes. "Evelyn?" Derek looked surprised. I could feel a little cocoon growing inside me at the sound of him calling my name.  
"Hey Derek. I was wondering if we could talk. In private" I said looking over at the blonde and then slowly at the apathetic boy. "Erica, Isaac.." he uttered before they disappeared out of the house.

"They're in my pack" Derek explained catching my bewildered expression. So the lone wolf was not so lone after all. Something about that thought agitated me, but I let that emotion bury itself quickly. "I was wondering about us.." I said quickly regretting using the word "us". It sounded superficial, as if I'd known this stranger. "I mean, do you know, like, how are we connec.. What is your position.. Well who are you for me?" I asked sounding like a confused third cousin.  
"You want to know if you and I are in the same pack?" he synthesized my words. I nodded quickly in response. "Well, technically, I'm your alpha.. As Peter took the role from my sister and then I from him" he explained.  
"Oh, OK. So.. Yeah.. I'm not really sure what that entitles, but it's good to know" I mumbled.  
"We're connected. There's a loyalty between us, one few humans can experience" he explained. _Stiles_, I thought immediately to be one of those few. His connection to Scott, and Ella. His compassion was hard to find.  
"And we can feel each other. Emotionally, it's not only the heartbeat, we can feel a weak signal of each other's emotions" he continued. "Basically that feeling of connection and comprehension you had for Laura. We have a bond" he finished. There it was again – the cocoon was growing inside me, almost ready to open. I had this strange adoration for him linking us together – I felt needed by him and it felt good. It felt important. It felt needed.


	4. Oh, Ella

Ella raced down the stairs as soon as the doorbell rang. "Hey Scott, come inn", I could hear her say as she opened the door wider.  
"Scott, Stiles, how are you doing?" I asked as I walked towards the boys to give them a hug.  
"Evy, there's someone you have to meet" Scott said accepting my hug. "This is Allison" he said pointing at the tall, dark haired girl holding his hand.  
"Hi, Allison Argent" she said offering her hand. _Argent_, I thought. There weren't too many people in this little town that shared that name. I wondered if Scott knew anything about this girl's family as I took her hand. "Allison, nice to meet you" I managed to smile. I could feel my whole body tense up. Scott shot me an 'I'll-explain later'-look as Ella escorted them up the stairs.

"Scott, do you know much about Allison? About her family? Have you met them?" I asked with a concerned look upon my face.  
"I know.. I know who they are, what they do.." he said looking away. "But we're not too public about our relationship. I mean her father has made it clear where he stands on this subject" he said bitterly.  
"Kate Argent. Do you know her?" I asked raising my voice. I had grabbed the opportunity to confront Scott about his friend as soon as she'd left the house.  
"Evy, just hear him out" Ella said. "Things have changed" she looked at Scott for a more thorough explanation.  
"Kate Argent is dead" he said. "Peter Hale killed her not too long before you came back" explained.  
"I can't say she didn't deserve what came her way" I said trying to get my head around this situation. "So Allison, she knows?" I asked still confused about her role in Scotts life.  
"She knows everything. And she's not like her family" he promised, though I had my rightful doubts.  
"Well, I can't tell you what to do. But she is not to know about me, or this family. You cannot tell her who Charlie's parents are, is that clear?" I warned.  
"Yeah, chill, I haven't said anything" he assured, "And I won't, I swear" he continued.

"You ready for school, Ella?" I called up the stairs. It was her first day at Beacon Hills High School, but I was the one who was frantically nervous. I don't know why I was nervous, but from what I remembered of high school it wasn't the best institution to be in.  
"We gotta go, we'll be late if we don't leave now" she stressed as she ran down the stairs with her book bag hanging off her shoulder.

"Have a nice first day!" I called after Ella as she stepped out of the car.  
"Oh, look Uncle Creepy is here" she said as she pointed in the direction of a black sports car. I could see the recollection of werewolf hearing ability strike across her face as Derek looked up at her giving her a rather harsh look.  
"Woops, I forgot your kind has surveillance superpowers" she laughed as she ran to join Stiles at the entrance of Beacon Hills High. I looked back into the rearview mirror seeing the blonde girl and the boy I'd met a couple days before. I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by the girl who looked as if she'd been constructed to make every girl in the world at that high school jealous of her.

I heard footsteps stomp up the stairs, and before I could get a look at her face Ella had slammed the door shut. Oh boy.. That couldn't be good. I hadn't seen Ella really upset since our brother died, and even then it wasn't anger – it was just pain. Now however, now she was angry. "Ella" I called through her bedroom door hoping for a response. "Ella, sweetie, what's the matter?" I asked.  
"Nothing. Go away" she replied with muffled speech. OK, so that didn't work. What now? I opened the door slowly to find her head buried in a pile of pillows.  
"First day didn't go to well I take it.." I said offering a gentle voice.  
"It went fine. It was all fine. I even made friends with Lydia Martin" she answered.  
"Lydia Martin? That girl who ignored the world outside of her appearances?" I asked feeling a bit guilty for judging the clearly self-centered young girl I recollected. "Well, I thought you wanted to be friends with her. Isn't she like in _the clique_?" I asked.  
"Don't.." Ella sat up and collected herself. "Don't ever say 'clique' again. No one says clique anymore. God how old are you?" she retorted as a small laugh escaped her lips.  
"OK, I promise I won't say outdated stuff anymore, IF you tell me why you're crying" I said as I wiped tears off her pink cheeks.  
"I'm not crying, I'm just letting off some steam" she said. "Everything was fine, Lydia kept asking where I bought all my clothes, and the boys couldn't stop staring and it was great" she continued.  
"So what's the problem" I asked. Her phone buzzed and the Stiles' face popped up on her scratched screen.  
"He is" she pointed and buried her head back in the pile. "I'm not follow…" I tried to tell her before she cut me off.

"He still doesn't get it. Can you believe it? All these years and he's still as ignorant as ever" she said pointing at the cellphone. _Oh_. I felt kind of stupid. I'd always known she'd had a childish crush on him, but I thought that was a thing – you know the 'I-think-I-like-my-friend' stage. According to most Hollywood movies it's just a thing. Though most of the time the thing became a relationship as mutual feelings developed while some tacky song played in the background.  
"So.. You still, you know? The couple years of absence didn't do the trick?" I asked trying to seem understanding. No matter how many parenting books you read nothing really prepares you for talking to your sister about crushes while having to act like a parent. If I'd just played the sister role I'd tell to go for it – go out with these boys who obviously caught her fancy and make him jealous. I would do that. But now, do I really want horny little teens running after my baby sister? I'm not ready for the safe-sex talk.  
"Maybe I should catch his attention somehow? Maybe I should show him just how many guys would kill to be with me?" she said trying to seem self-confident though I saw the insecurity in her eyes. _Shit_, what do I do now?  
"I don't think that's the best way to go" I tried to help.  
"No it is" she assured. "It is… I mean maybe he'd feel something than.. And I'd finally know what's up between us" she continued.  
_Oh shit,_ I knew exactly what was going to be _up_ for Stiles if she went through with this plan – Ella might have been insecure, but she'd sure as hell become a determined person over the last few years. Yup, Stiles was going to want my little sister.

I was getting ready for Charlie to go to bed when I heard a knock on the door. I could feel who it was. It was strange – I knew he'd be on the other side of that door. "Hey Derek" I said as I opened the door. He didn't seem even a tad surprised by my newly discovered psychic skills.  
"I was just checking up on Charlie" he gave a perfectly appropriate explanation. "You don't mind do you?" he smiled giving me a perfect view of his perfectly lined teeth. Why was I looking at his teeth?  
"No of course not" I snapped out of my bliss. "I was just going to put him to bed… You could help" I offered.  
I took baby Charlie out of his seat and continued up the stairs. "So this is his room" I sounded like some auction host. _Idiot_ I kicked myself in my head. "I usually just sing him a lullaby or tell him a story and he falls asleep. You want to try?" I asked.  
"Uhm, I don't really.." he looked at me, "eh, yeah sure, why not?" he said. One half of my brain was telling me to take the baby and run, what was I thinking letting this creepy stranger drop in and out of our lives switching roles from big bad alpha-wolf to sweet- sexy-god, I want you so much- sensitive guy? Sorry, other half interrupted for a second. "Want to hold him for a sec?" screw the first half of my brain, besides Derek would have no trouble finding me if I ran.

Derek slowly reached out for the little baby boy in my arms. _Oh my_. Charlie seemed to fit perfectly into the arms of this man. _WHY?_ Why was I doing this to myself? I could feel my heart trying to pump its way out of my body. But at the same time I could feel the immense fear of knowing that Derek would never be _that_ guy. He would never be anything but Derek Hale, the alpha werewolf. Currently, the alpha werewolf cradling the most precious part of my life. _Christ._  
"You're scared" he pulled me back to the surface. _Shit!_ I'm scared. He KNOWS. Holy… "I guess any parent would be freaked out about sharing their child with a stranger" he continued. _Oh._ Yeah. That's what I was scared about. That's all. Totally explainable.  
"Yeah. No. It's just all new to me" I tried to sound mentally stable. "I'm OK. Being a mom at this junction of my life wasn't really planned" I confessed.  
"Well, being a werewolf probably wasn't planned either" he pointed out. God. I sounded like an idiot next to him.  
"C'est la vie right?" I nervously laughed.

"So I was thinking we could get to know each other better" he said as we walked towards the door. I would like that.. "You know, since Charlie's in my life. I would like to know more about your brother and you know; family stuff" he clarified.  
"How about dinner?" I'm an idiot. "So you could talk to Ella too" I saved myself from some of the embarrassment.  
"Gotta go, won't be late, hi uncle creepy" Ella interrupted us. Wait what? WhaT?  
"What's that?" I asked pointing at her too-tight tank top. Was this what she meant by "getting his attention? Hell no.  
"It's called cleavage, sis. Maybe they didn't have it when you were my age" she answered sarcastically before disappearing into her car.  
"I'm glad Charlie's a boy. Raising him is going to be so much easier for us when puberty hits" Derek half laughed as he got into his car.  
"Tell me about it" I complained as he started the engine. I froze as he drove off. What did he say? "So much easier for _us_?" I repeated in my head.

**Authors note: ****So I know I'm not the best writer, but this is my first story, so bear with me please. I would love any feedback, constructive critique, suggestions etc. Chapters are posted with various spaces between them; I will try to keep them coming steadily. **


	5. Dinner and dessert

OK, so that previously mentioned cocoon that was growing inside me felt like it was fully developed by now. All that was left was a little pop and the butterflies would go lose inside me. Did he really say _us?_ But surly he meant "us" as in a parenting team – like we meet up for baseball games and school plays, nothing else of course. Right? I had trouble thinking of Charlie growing up period. I didn't need the complication of this man who I felt strangely connected to – he can compare this connection to Laura's if he wants, but I never wanted to do the things I want to do with Derek with her.  
The past couple of days went to practicing keeping my feelings deep inside. I couldn't afford to have Derek know whatever it was I felt for him. It would be strange, and things would get highly awkward and Charlie deserves better than awkward.

"Why do I always find you head-first in the fridge, munchkin" I laughed at the sight of Stiles' head buried somewhere between the shelves of the refrigerator.  
He laughed as he jumped back out of the fridge. "Hey, Eve? Could I ask you something" he asked. Yikes. _Eve _was my serious nickname. It was my adult nickname. I didn't really like it.  
"What's up with Ella? I mean she's been acting really strangely lately and she's talking to all these guys all the time" he said as he twisted his Oreo.  
"Well, honey, you know.. I mean, she is a girl. Girls do that. Lydia Martin does that all the time" I tried to explain without revealing anything.  
"But Ella is Ella. She's not like that. And why are there so many guys around her all the time? I don't like it" he sounded like an overprotective friend - which could either be a very good thing or a very bad thing for Ella's situation.  
"I think you should talk to her about this, Stiles. I have no idea, really" I lied sympathetically.  
The hyperactive teen rushed out of the house mumbling something about "can't be too obvious" whilst planning his confrontation with Ella.  
"Ella, remember we've got dinner plans tonight" I reminded her. This was really happening.  
"Yeah, I know, but I have to leave a bit early, Stiles texted me now saying he needed to speak to me, I don't know why he left in the first place if he needed to talk" she said unaware that I might have screwed things up for them now.  
"Uhm, yeah, sure, just stay for a little while" I reassured.

_Shit,_I thought looking at all my stockings. Not on single pair without holes in them. I snuck into Ella's room as I heard her go downstairs. Jackpot. All newly purchased nylon stockings. That's my girl! I hurried back into my room and jumped into my high-waist skirt.  
"Well don't you look classy" I heard Ella compliment from behind.  
"Well, yeah. I have to look responsible – 'cause you know, we're probably going to be talking about Charlie's future, and I don't want him to think we're not serious" I covered up my weird desire to dress up simply because Derek was coming to dinner.  
"Mhm" Ella said as she shot me a cheeky look. "Your responsible self must have just forgotten to button up that top button then I guess" she smirked as she pointed at my cleavage.

"I guess you do know what cleavage is" she continued as I rolled my eyes. Did she know? If so, what did she know? Because I'm clueless.

I tried to calm myself down as I walked towards the door. "Hi" he greeted me in the doorway. He was wearing a black V-neck shirt and blue jeans revealing just enough to get my heart beating again. "Ella" he nodded as she walked up behind me.  
"Hi Derek, nice to officially meet you" she replied slightly embarrassed by their previous "official" introduction. She seemed good now – like she was ready to let him in or like she knew he was meant to be a part of our lives.  
The dinner went smoothly, Ella and Derek seemed to click perfectly and I felt safe knowing that at least they could have a non-awkward relationship. "I gotta run, this was nice, see you around, Hale" she waved as she walked out the door.

"Would you like some coffee?" I asked once again sounding a bit too superficial. "I'll just go put Charlie to bed first" I replied to his nod, realizing it was past Charlie's bedtime. I hurried to get Charlie to bed, singing the one song I knew he couldn't resist in his tired state: "Hush little baby". Like clockwork the baby fell asleep within a couple of minutes. Now, it was time to focus. _Do not let Derek get to you_, I kept repeating to myself.  
"You have a nice voice" he smiled when I was about to take a sip of my coffee. Ouch. I hoped he hadn't noticed me nearly choking on my coffee.  
I continued to tell him more about my brother, and Laura, how they met through me and how Bryan was the alpha of our little family. I told him how Laura had turned me after an accident – how Bryan pleaded that she saved me.  
"What about your parents?" he asked slightly confused.  
"They died. 6 years ago, here in Beacon Hills. A car accident" I explained.  
"Sorry" Derek said with all the sincerity in the world. His eyes were freakin' magical. They seemed to draw me inn deeper every time I tried to look away.  
"So that's the Hallock 101 for you" I shrugged finally managing to look away from his eyes.  
"Evelyn" he said. "I haven't been completely honest with you about this alpha/beta position we're inn" he confessed.  
"Uhm, what?" I asked confused. Where did that come from? What hasn't he told me?  
Derek leaned in and lingered for a split second staring at my lips before meeting them with his own. I felt my own lips move in acknowledgement, in agreement. His tongue found its way to my own and my hands were all of a sudden tangling through his hair. This was not the responsible behavior I was talking about earlier, but all I could think of was how I wanted this to last longer. I assure you, the cocoon had popped, and the butterflies were going apeshit.  
"What's.. What's happening?" I asked when we finally had to part for air. I didn't want to ask. I just wanted to ignore every question in my head. But this wasn't supposed to happen, I couldn't do this, I'd be jeopardizing our relationship to Charlie, his relationship to Charlie.  
"Sorry" Derek took a step backwards assuring himself that I didn't feel assaulted. "Our relationship.." he continued. _Our relationship?_ One kiss and there's a relationship? What the.. "You're feeling something for me that you can't explain. Something you don't necessarily want to feel, but you can't help it. It's like these feelings are controlling you" he put words to my emotions. "Where have you heard that before?" he asked assuming this wasn't news to me.  
"What? I've never… Controlling?" I wanted to laugh as I recollected what Laura had told me the first time I caught her kissing Bryan. They'd known each other for a while and when I confronted her she answered, "Evy, it's not my fault. Really, it's incontrollable. A wolf thing.. You wouldn't understand". _Oh god_, my brain had finally caught up to what Derek was trying to ease me into. "We're m-m-ma" I tried.  
"We're mates" he finished. "Or we're supposed to be mates" he said.

We stood there for several minutes before Derek dared to move towards me. I contemplated stepping back, but I'd lost all feeling in my legs. "Evelyn, don't be scared" he said looking a bit like a kicked puppy. "I'm not.. I'm not going to hurt you. I mean I don't want to of course, but I couldn't even if I wanted to" he explained. I felt tears well up in my eyes. Suddenly he was so vulnerable, as if I had all power over him, though in truth I didn't really even have any power over myself. Which I proved to myself by crashing against his lips once again. This time more violently than before. He tasted fucking sweet. Who tastes sweet? Jeez. I wrapped my legs around his hips as he lifted me from the ground and started moving towards the stairs.  
"Evelyn, stop" huh? "We don't have to.. This is all new information to you.. I could still leave" he suggested.  
"Are you chicken, Hale?" I asked slightly annoyed at how much he was procrastinating, if he didn't want to be with me, all he had to do was leave.  
"Fuck it" I heard him say before he buried his lips in my neck.  
We'd made it past the bedroom door now and I could feel a mixture of excitement and fear. He laid us down on the bed and I felt his sculpture crash against my body. His lips moved back and forth from my neck to my lips. I saw Derek's eyes turn red, but the reflection was the same shade of red. "Holy motherfff" I sat up nearly pushing Derek off the bed. I picked up the little mirror on my nightstand. "What the fuck?" I asked myself. I felt fear surging through my entire body.  
"Evelyn! It's OK. Evelyn. Relax" I heard Derek say as he held my face in his hands. "It's just a sign of affection. It shows that we're bonding. That you are bonding with an Alpha – it shows that if we decide to mate, you'd be Alpha too" he comforted.  
"Oh, kaay.. WHAT? I what? I'm not an alpha!" I felt my head spinning; I wasn't sure if it was because Derek continued to kiss my neck or if it was because he said I was an alpha.  
"Not yet, but if we mate, then you'll be alpha too. It's the supernatural way of saying 'what's mine is yours'" he smiled. Why was he smiling so much? I didn't even know he had that many teeth before now. I wanted to continue freaking out, I wanted answers to what the fudge was going on, but not as much as I wanted him. He stopped kissing me, probably as reassurance of that I was breathing. His eyes locked with mine. And I could see that my eyes were still red. Still longing for Derek's body, for his mind, for him. I replied his growing worry with a violent kiss and I could feel his body ease up.  
"So.. Many…Buttons" he breathed trying not to ruin my shirt. I ripped of the shirt in a split second feeling proud of my werewolf ability to do so with only one hand. "Thanks" I could hear him laugh as he kissed his way down my neck. He didn't move back up this time. I tried to clear my thoughts as he pulled down his boxers. Focus Evy. Focus. _Oh god_. He was perfect. He was fucking symmetric. I pulled his face to mine and groaned as I felt his erection. He thrust inside of me and I felt a shiver go through my entire body.

I laid there for God knows how many hours listening to his breath as he fell asleep. He had his arms wrapped around me, protecting me from anything but us. Eventually I fell asleep feeling safer than I ever had before.  
"Evy?" I heard a small voice from the stairs. The footsteps were getting closer. I shot up from the bed looking at the perfect body next to me. His eyes opened as he too sat up in a hurry. "Evy, are you awake?" I heard Ella whisper from outside my door. "Oh shit!" I said as I wrapped my bathrobe around me and headed for the door. I heard the thud of Derek landing on the floor continued by the sound of him rolling under the bed.  
"Ella? What's wrong?" I asked as I cracked the door open. I slid out of the room after whispering "don't go anywhere" knowing Derek would be the only one to hear me. "Did you just get in? God, do you know what the time is?" I whispered angrily attempting not to wake the baby.  
"It's 3 AM. 2 hours after my weekend curfew. I sent you a text" she answered annoyed. "Nice hair " she said trying to sneak a look into my room.  
"Just call next time OK" I said trying to sound like a worried parent when all I really could feel was ecstasy of Derek being in my room. The baby started to cry as I was about to sneak back into my room.  
"I'll get it" Ella said. "You.. Go back to bed" she smiled her eye catching something in the room. "Nice pants, are those Ralph Lauren's, Derek?" she asked speaking louder than before.  
"Ella!" I warned as I heard Derek chuckle. Ella giggled as she entered the baby's room.

"That was close" I whispered as I closed the door behind me. Derek was already back in my bed by then.  
"Close, Evy? She directed a question towards me" he pointed out.  
"Evy?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "That's not your usual lingo" I said changing the subject from my denial of Ella catching us.  
"Well, I like Evelyn better, but everyone in your life calls you Evy" he explained in a matter-of-fact manner.  
"You can call me Evelyn, it's up to you" I said trying not to smile to broadly of how he called my name.  
"Come back to bed, Evy" he laughed as he lifted the duvet.


	6. Establishment

We didn't wake until later that morning. It was Saturday – Ella's day to take the morning shift of Life with a Baby. I sat up slowly, attempting to not wake the stone sculpture beside me. A hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me back into bed as I attempted to sneak out. "Don't go anywhere" he repeated the words I'd told him only a few hours ago. His eyes were still closed as the words were spoken.  
"I was just heading for the shower" I defended myself.  
"Don't. Go. Anywhere" he said slower. His eyes opened. "I have to take a shower, it's getting late" I whined.  
"OK" he answered. I hurried to the shower and turn the tap on. The hot water felt good in the cold morning air. "What are you doing?" I laughed after slightly jumping at the arms that wrapped themselves around me.  
"Well, it's getting late.. I'm taking a shower" he smiled. "You don't mind do you?" he asked indifferently.  
"Not at all" I answered as I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips caught mine and I felt him growing against me. Everything from that point is still a little foggy to me.

"My car keys" Derek pulled back from the window. "They're in my jacket. Downstairs" he said.  
"We can probably sneak you out, she's probably in the kitchen" I assured.  
Derek was just about to grab his jacket when Ella approached us, "Don't you want breakfast, wolfy?"  
Derek looked at me for help, but I shrugged hoping to turn invisible. "Yes, I would like some breakfast" Derek answered with sudden confidence.  
"Great, we're having pancakes" Stiles popped out of the kitchen holding baby Charlie. Derek went from his previous confident state to a bright shade of embarrassment red.  
"Stiles" he greeted taking a step into the kitchen.  
"Hey, sourwolf, not too sour anymore huh?" I could hear Stiles whisper to Derek when I went to get extra plates. I heard a thud followed by Stiles' reaction. "Holy God, Derek" he said as he rubbed the back of his head.  
"So we should probably talk" I said looking at Ella.  
"Hey, what's to talk about?" she shrugged as she tried to repress a giggle.  
"It's perfectly clear that you two are currently riding the hobby horse, and we're cool with it – but hey, better safe than sexy" Stiles playfully warned.  
"What? Hobby horse? What the fuck kid?" I was surprised by Derek's reaction. "Who says stuff like that?" he asked rhetorically.  
"Dude, your new gf made us watch that movie all the time. It's like the Bible for us, don't be dissing the lingo brother" Stiles answered in a manner of religious conviction. Derek glared at him in confusion.  
"Don't tell me you haven't watched the Breakfast Club?" Stiles blurted. "Evy, this isn't acceptable, woman. You shouldn't be anywhere near this guy, he's no good" Stiles said.  
"Stiles. Shut up" I said though the kid had a defendable point.

"What was that about?" Derek asked after the kids left the kitchen. "What's the Breakfast Club?" he asked.  
"You're lucky you're pretty" I informed rolling my eyes.  
"I'll stop by later?" Derek asked as he opened the front door.  
"Yeah" I said looking over my shoulder to check if the coast was clear. I pulled his face close to mine and trapped his lips.

"Ella, could I have a word" I called to the living room.  
"What's up?" she asked.  
"Just because Derek spent the night here doesn't mean that the rules change" I informed confidently.  
"What rules, Evy?" Ella laughed.  
"No boys sleeping in your room" I said strictly. "You're seventeen" I answered her 'that's-so-unfair' look. "Besides, this is not some casual thing OK?" I defended myself.  
"Oh? Didn't we just recently meet Derek?" she snapped back though her look was playful.  
"That's different, we're.. it's not.. I can't.." how was I going to explain why I needed Derek in my life.  
"No! Don't tell me! You haven't? Are you? Are you mates?" her eyes widened. " I mean I knew there was something, but this?" she stared in disbelief.  
"We're not.. No, not yet" I said with my eyes glued at the floor.  
"So you're going to be Mrs. Sourwolf?" Stiles asked from the hallway. "I couldn't help but overhear you" he smiled.  
"Stiles. No. Nothing. Stop talking" I said dressing my smile in a strict warning look.  
My phone buzzed. "Slap Stiles for me please. Thanks Evy. - Derek" I read as I heard Derek's car pull out.  
"So where's the wedding bite?" Stiles asked playfully.  
"I told you. We are not mated yet. And by the way, I never forced you to watch anything with me" I answered.  
"Don't pull that shit on me, Derek is gone now. You made us watch it all the time when we were kids. And don't tell me that you're not the slightest disappointed that Derek had no idea the brat-pack existed" he continued.  
"I don't watch it that much anymore. Some of us have grown up" I retorted. I could hear Ella laugh at my reply, but it was too early in the morning to start a Evy VS. Stella battle.

"So any progress on the Stiles situation?" I asked not so subtly after Stiles left. Ella seemed happier now than she did earlier.  
"I don't know really.. He told me not to go out with any of the guys from school the other day. He said they weren't good enough for me" she smiled. "But I still don't think he gets it. I don't know. I've waited for that boy since I was 12. I don't know how much longer I can wait before losing my sanity" she sighed.  
"I'm sure he'll come around. It takes time, I mean, he's not the brightest bulb.." I trailed off.  
"Speaking of waiting.. How long before you seal the deal with loverwolf?" she asked. I frowned.  
"No one is sealing anything yet. You have to remember that even if there's a supernatural force pulling me towards Derek, I was born human. I don't know. None of this is how I imagined it. Even if there's a future for me and Derek it'll never be what it's supposed to be" I looked down at the ground, disappointed of how shallow I could be, even when it came to fate.  
"Evy, you can still have what you've always wanted. Besides you have Charlie – he's practically your son already" Ella comforted as she put her hand over my shoulder. For the first time in my life I felt ashamed of myself for wanting what I've always dreamt of.  
"I know, and I love him like I would if he were mine" I felt even more ashamed for trying to defend myself, but Ella seemed to understand. After all, she knew me better than anyone.  
"Evy, we both know that your soul purpose in life is being a mother. Maybe you could still have that. Maybe despite what we might think, Derek also wants what you want. And if not, it's not the end of the world. You don't have to end up with Derek. Don't give up your dream, sis" she said as she wiped away the tear running down my cheek.  
"Urgh. Look at me. One night and I think we're paired for life" I said laughing at how ridiculous I sounded worrying about stuff that seemed years away. My heart nearly stopped as I heard an engine die. Was that Derek? Shit. Could he hear me? I ran to the mirror to check if my make-up was smeared.  
"Hey Derek" I heard Ella greet as she called for me. "I'm going over to the Stilinsky's for a while. The sheriff is cooking and I need to be on stand-by if he burns anything" I heard her laugh as she left the house.  
"Evy?" Derek called. I straightened myself out and went to greet him.  
"Hey there sourwolf" I teased. I stopped a few feet away from him, not quite ready to play happy-go-lucky yet.  
"Don't tell me Stiles has rubbed off on you" he laughed slightly annoyed at how easily I'd adapted to his nickname. "Hey, are you OK?" he looked slightly worried. I felt bad of how the worry in his eyes pleased me a little. I nodded as if nothing was on my mind. "Your heart is beating like crazy" he called my bluff. I didn't know how long I'd be able to hold it together.  
"Derek, we need to talk" I said trying not to sound too sad. He followed me to the couch and picked up Charlie. It was going to be so hard trying to resist his charm, even harder when he was holding a huge part of my life in his hands.  
"I know this mate-thing is a natural part of life for you. I mean you grew up knowing about all this and expecting it" I said not looking him in the eyes. "But it's different for me. I've seen many people close to me promise that they were meant to last forever, and then one day just leave. And I know that this probably sounds ridiculous, but I don't want to risk that. I can't just act like this supernatural part of it is supposed to convince me. This was not how it was supposed to happen" I started to defend myself. "Life was supposed to be more. You know, rings, and white dresses and…" I sounded so stupid. I must have said something too wrong, 'cause he once again gave me his puppy look.  
"And..?" he asked. I started fidgeting with my nails. "And what, Evelyn?" he asked softly.  
"And just more" I couldn't keep my tears prisoners anymore as I looked down at the baby. I knew Derek understood me as he too looked down at the baby.  
"You want the whole family package.. Grandkids and stuff" he sounded a bit more aware of my previous statements. At this point I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I silently hoped that I could just rewind this entire evening, and start over without this sudden opinionated state of mind.

We sat in the couch for what seemed forever. And after those 2 minutes passed Derek placed a hand on my own. "I know you think I been ready for this my whole life. But I haven't. I didn't expect any of this. I didn't expect you. If you want to wait. We can wait. We can do it the real way. The dating and all" he smiled. "As for the rest… What makes you think my desires are any different than yours?" he asked softly. The next few hours flew by. My heart hadn't stopped racing, I wasn't sure whether that was because it hadn't recovered from the fear of Derek not wanting me anymore, or because he just told me that no matter what, he wanted me for life.  
"I'll put Charlie to sleep" I said as I realized how the time had flown by. I needed an excuse to not be in the same room as him – the victory dance was really not something I wanted to break out publicly the second night of our relationship.  
"So, we're together? Like going steady?" Derek asked seeming genuinely curious.  
I laughed as I kissed him softly. "No one says 'going steady' anymore, Derek" I repeated what Ella had commented a few days earlier when I was trying to place her relationship to Stiles.  
"Oh, I'm sure you still do" Derek replied as he playfully nibbled on my neck.

"Evyyyyyy!" I heard Ella call as the door shut behind her. "Evy! EVY!" she continued.  
"Relax, Ella, I just got her to fall asleep" I heard Derek whisper as I slowly recovered from my nap.  
"What's up, Ella? All good?" I asked groggily as I sat up straight.  
"You know that situation we were talking about earlier. It's fixed. No more waiting" she beamed.  
"That's great, honey. Congrats…" I said before really interpreting what she said. "Wait, what do you mean fixed? Which of the different waiting processes are fixed?" I raised an eyebrow, though internally I was praying with all my might that she meant the innocent _waiting. _  
"Chillax, sis. We're not you and Derek now" she giggled. "Nothing is established. But there definitely was something" she smiled as she turned towards the stairs.  
"Hey, Evy?" she asked.  
"Yeah, things are established" I smiled answering her unspoken question.


	7. Faintness

The next weeks passed by quickly and Christmas was just around the corner. I'd gotten so used to cold winters these past years that being back in Beacon Hills with the sun shining every morning seemed so strange. Stiles and Ella grew closer for everyday that flew by, but there still wasn't any sign of commitment on Stiles' part. Regardless of Ella's fears I don't think Stiles knew that Ella really wanted them to be together. I could see insecurity in his eyes even when they were hanging out in large groups. Scott and Alison seemed happy together, and they'd included their old opponents Lydia and Jackson into their little group. As I was explained recent events in Beacon Hills from before we arrived, it didn't surprise me that Jackson and Lydia were now a part of the gang. Apparently Lydia was the brain and had done a lot of research to help out Scott and Stiles earlier. Who knew?  
There was only a few weeks left until Christmas and I had no idea what to get Derek. What does one get for a somewhat overprotective, 2-months-sober-from-anger, mysterious werewolf? I'd been pretty stressed out all week from getting the others gifts, I hadn't really any time to find the one-in-a-million fitting gift for a supernatural being – and it pissed me off.

"Good morning, Evelyn" I heard from the stairs. I turned around to see Derek in nothing but a lose pair of pants. Holy Christ, had he gotten even hotter these last couple of days? It took all the might in my body to resist sweeping everything off the kitchen table and attacking Derek.  
"You cannot walk around like that, Derek!" I said feeling not only strict, but slightly annoyed.  
"Calm down" he said pulling his t-shirt on (which he apparently had in his hands, but who was looking at them?). "Are you OK? You've seemed a bit tense these last days" he said obviously noticing my Christmas stress.  
"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep too well that's all" I answered. The holiday heat was getting to me and everyone was obviously aware of that.  
"Good, because I have a plan for today. Ella and Stiles have Charlie for the day, so the house is all ours" he smiled. Shit. I should have just let him be half naked in the first place – karma.  
"So what's on the agenda for today?" I asked as walked me to the living room.  
"First we watch a TV" he said as if that was normal for him.  
"OK" I raised my eyebrows and hesitated slightly. The DVD player was already on when I got to the living room and there was music coming from the TV. Familiar music. Simple Minds' "Don't you forget about me" was playing on my TV. "Is that? Have you? How did you?" I asked in astonishment as I fell back onto the couch and caught a glimpse of a movie cover beside the television.  
"I asked Ella and Stiles" he smiled at me. "This is still your favorite movie right?" he asked pointing at the brat-pack who appeared on my screen. I can't really explain why I started crying when sat down beside me. He remembered? He actually gave a shit. "Evy, what's wrong?" he said as he wrapped an arm around me.  
"Nothing.. is.. wrong.." I sobbed. "That's my.. favorite movie" I held myself together before letting another tear escape. "I love you" I said. I hadn't realized it was the first time I was telling him this. In sweatpants on my couch. But it felt like I'd loved him forever, it was no secret. His eyes flashed slightly and his smile broadened.  
"I love you too" he replied softly meeting my lips. I leaned backwards and let his head fall on my chest and we lay there watching the movie. I said almost every line in the movie before the characters did, but Derek didn't protest at all. He must actually really love me.  
"So… Uhm.. Christmas is coming up.. What do you want?" I snuck in a question when the movie was over.  
"I already got what I want" he answered in a matter-of-fact tone. If anyone else had said those word it would have sounded highly cheesy, but Derek seemed convincing.  
"Hmph.. As sweet as that was, it was of no help" I frowned at him. He pulled me closer to him placing my hands in his own.  
"I think I'm going to have to buy you another present, the one I got now… I can't… It's not.." he trailed off actually thinking about what to give me.  
"What? Why? What's wrong with the one you got me?" I asked rather interested.  
"Nothing is wrong with it" he smiled. "But I don't think I can wait 'til Christmas to give it to you" he said looking a bit disappointed in himself. "Just a moment" he said as he vanished into the kitchen pulling out his cellphone. I was extremely excited to see what he'd gotten me. I wonder if it's boxed. Like a big box. Ooh. And if so, did he wrap it himself? My excitement was killed as he walked back in a minute later with nothing but his cellphone in his hands.  
"Where's my no-good present?" I asked slightly let down.  
"Didn't say I was going to give it today" he smirked. "By the way, we're going out for dinner today" he said.  
"Since when? Where are we going? Like suitable for sweatpants, 'cause I'm really comfy right now" I said as I pulled my size XL sweatshirt over my knees.  
"Since I called Le Jardin and made reservations.. You can wear whatever you like" he replied.  
Oh my.. Le Jardin. That's expensive. I guessed there wouldn't be sweatpants for me. I wondered why we were going to Le Jardin, but then again – Derek wasn't one to do anything halfway. His idea of take-out is tapas and wine. I wondered if he'd ever been to Burger King…

I hurried out of the shower and in to Dereks hands holding my towel. "I'm c-c-cold" I shivered. He removed the towel and threw his arms around me, rubbing his hands up and down my back. "Better now" I smiled as I threw on a bathrobe.  
I hurried to create a somewhat fancy hairdo and rushed to the closet. What to wear? I found a rather sexy black dress which I remember fit like a glove the last time I wore it. It was my favorite, and this was an excuse to let Derek see my in something other than house-mom clothes. _Shit_, I thought to myself as I couldn't get the zipper further than slightly above my hips. Not the perfect timing to put on that holiday weight. I snuck the dress back into the closet acting as if I'd not yet found a dress when Derek re-entered the room. I found a new dress, slightly bigger than the black one and slipped quickly into it while Derek lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. "How do I look?" I regretted asking as I felt that my entire upper body felt considerably strangled in the dress.  
"You look beautiful. Red is your color, it fits you perfectly" I heard his textbook answer as I turned to the mirror. Urgh. I fucking hate dressing up.

The restaurant was beautiful. We sat in a dim area lighted by big candles. "That was delicious" I said as I leaned back. I'd finished everything on my plate and my dress felt tighter than ever by this point.  
"I feel like going for a walk" Derek said as we walked out of the restaurant. He took my hand and led me onto the beautifully lighted promenade. The sky was dark now and little stars appeared one by one as we walked. "Evelyn. There's something I've been thinking lately" his eyes were slightly anxious as he looked at me. I hoped to God he wasn't going to tell me I was fat. That would not fit well into my already stressed week. We sat down on a bench hidden at the end of the promenade. "I know we talked about this. And you're allowed to whatever reaction you please, but.." he trailed off.  
"What's going on, Derek?" I was starting to get worried now and I was feeling nauseous by the time he looked back at me. He moved so quick I didn't really have any time to prepare myself. I blinked at he was kneeling in front of me. On one knee. "I love you. And that's never going to change. Ever" he started. "I always going to want you. And I guess.. Well I was wondering if I could have you. Forever" I'd never seen him this nervous before. He was shaking for crying out loud. "Will you be mine forever?" he asked as a little black box appeared in his hands. He revealed the most beautiful ring with a diamond rock on it. It took my brain some time to react to what just happened. My mouth stayed popped open for the time being.  
"Oh my god" was all I managed to utter before I lunged for his lips. "Yes. I'm already yours. Forever" I smiled as I pulled away. The tears were being shed like crazy and I was certain that I'd ruined my make-up, but I couldn't stop. He slid the ring on my finger wearing the biggest smile I'd ever seen. It took time before I regained strength in my knees, but we made it to the house nonetheless.

It didn't take long before we both were entangled under the sheets. My desire for Derek had never been as strong as it was now. The need for him to touch me, to kiss me, to be in me had never been as great. We were in bed for at least a couple of hours before finally making it back down. I couldn't keep my eyes of the magnificent ring placed on my finger. The joy was so overwhelming it actually made me feel a little faint.  
"I'm home" Ella called as she carried Charlie who was already deeply sleeping. She flew up the stairs before I could tear my eyes away from my left hand. Derek had his arms around me the whole time.  
"What's up?" Ella asked descending from the stairs.  
"Oh, not much" I beamed as I waved my hand in front of her.  
"Is that a..?" she got her answer from Derek's huge grin. "Oh my god. You're officially going to be Mrs. Wolfy!" she shouted as she attempted to wrap her arms around both me and Derek. The sudden motions made my faintness go over the edge and I leaped into the bathroom.  
"Evelyn? Are you OK?" Derek rushed in just in time for my last cough.  
"This is not really suitable for you to see until like.. Months after the wedding day" I groaned as I weakly tried to push him away. I saw a smile touch his lips briefly before he returned to his previous worried state.  
"Are you OK?" he repeated. "We're never going back there to eat" he informed as I brushed my teeth.  
"I'm fine" I garbled still biting on to my toothbrush. "I just ate too fast, that's all, I think I'll just go to bed" I said hiding my awareness of the fact that I haven't thrown up since I was a kid.

I lay awake in the bed for several hours, just listening to Derek's deep breaths. I woke up what felt like only a few hours after finally falling asleep. Derek's arms were wrapped tightly around me so getting out of his hold would be a bit difficult. "hm.. Evy. Whur ya goin?" he yawned into his pillow.  
"I told you yesterday I have to go shopping" I said as I kissed the back of his head.  
"Mmkay" he answered. He grabbed my hand right before I turned and said "I love you" he smiled to me.  
I smiled at him as I went into the bathroom.  
I drove to the mall as quickly as I could – I hurried to buy the things I'd planned to purchase as gifts for the kids before wandering in to the pharmacy. There was so much to choose there. I contemplated reading the certainty percentage on each of them to compare, but I ended up buying 5 different varieties of the same product. Better safe than sorry right?  
"Hey Evy" Ella called from the kitchen when I got inn. "Derek went to the Hale house" she informed. That's right. He had told me a few days earlier that he had to spend some time with his pack now, they were still relatively young and needed a mentor, and he hadn't really had too much time to bond with them lately.  
"OK, thanks for letting me know" I smiled as I hurried up the stairs. "I'll just grab a shower" I said, glad that she wasn't awake 2 hours ago, to know that was when I actually took a shower.  
I sat on the edge of the bathtub with a timer in my hand. I had to wait 2 minutes. Shouldn't have been so difficult. I counted the seconds in my head until the timer went off. "Pull yourself together, Evy" I told myself lightly slapping my cheeks. I checked all of them. All 5 tests. I checked them – several times.  
"Evy?" I heard Ella from the bedroom. Shit. I pushed all the tests in the sink and placed myself in front of it.  
"What's up Ella?" I asked nervously slightly cracking the door open. She pushed it open indifferently and leaned against the wall.  
"Do you think I should ask Stiles out?" she asked. "Or is that going to freak him out or something?" she continued.  
"You haven't asked him out yet?" I asked rather loudly. "Well, fuck, Ella. No wonder the kid has no idea" I continued. "Yes, yes you should" I answered her bewildered expression.  
"Yeah.. I guess I should then" she said looking at the floor. Her eyes travelled towards the dustbin. _Please don't look at the bin, please don't_ – of course she did. I'd obviously hit reset on my timer, 'cause it went off just in time for Ella's confusion. "What are you hiding?" she asked raising her eyebrows. She followed the sound of the timer to the sink. "What the fuck?" she said as her mouth shaped an O. "Oh my god, Evy… And they're all +'s" she too double-checked the results.  
"Evy, what are you going to do about this?" she asked when I hurried down the stairs.  
"Nothing. Nothing yet. I don't know anything, might be false alarms.. Will make an appointment with.." I was cut off by Ella "5 false alarms Evy? Get real" she laughed. "Besides, you're all moody and shit" she explained.  
"Ella, could we not talk about this now. Just not" I hushed.  
I heard the door open and shot a look at Ella before greeting my boyfriend. "Hey Da.. Derek" Ella actually almost said Dad. I'm going to kill her.


	8. Hale fright

«Can I come?» Ella asked as I got ready to go to the doctor.  
"It's just the results, just paperwork" I objected. I didn't think I could handle having an audience. I wasn't quite sure why; I knew I'd be sad if it was negative, but I was really freaked out – how was I going to tell Derek? Oh my god. What if Derek didn't want this yet? Would he ask me to not go through with it. I felt my breakfast on its way back up as I ran to the kitchen sink. Urgh.  
"You're sick, I'll drive you" Ella insisted as she pulled the keys out of my hand. I gargled water and hoped to God that was the last round of upchuck reflexes this morning.  
"OK. But not a word to anyone no matter what the results are, OK?" I warned.  
"You know you're going to have to tell Derek right? Where is he by the way?" she asked.  
"He took Charlie out for a walk" I answered. "I'll text him that we'll be out for a little while" I said as I opened the front door.

"Ms. Hallock?" a woman in a white nurse suit looked at me. She looked so familiar. "Evelyn?" she asked raising her eyebrows.  
"Mrs. McCall? How are you?" I hugged her. She looked a bit distracted, there was loneliness in her eyes, I could see that this last year had been heavy for her. I wonder whether or not she knows about Scott – maybe she just thinks he's on drugs or something, steroids maybe..  
"I'm just feeling a little under the weather, think Ella has caught it too, just want to check that it's not too serious" I lied when she asked if everything was alright.  
"Pants on fire" Ella whispered to me as we walked into the doctor's office.  
"Ms. Hallock. How are you feeling?" the man in the white coat asked. "Please, sit down" he motioned to both myself and Ella. "I have your results" he continued. "Congratulations, Ms. Hallock, you are expecting" he smiled widely. I bit back the urge to throw up right there in that room.  
"W-what happens now?" I asked like a oblivious child. Ella reached for my hand, and held it tightly.  
"Erh, well it's normal procedure to have a check-up once a month, I'll have the nurse give you some brochures.." he said. "No! N-no, I'd really prefer that you give them to me. I'm n-not really telling anyone yet" I tried to explain.  
"Oh, yes, of course, but, well you might want to tell your partner? He might want to be here for your next appointment – with ultrasound" he looked at me questioningly.  
"Yes, I'll tell him" I said as I took the brochures he dug out from the bottom of his drawer.  
"Are you going to tell him tonight?" Ella asked as we walked out of the hospital. She was still beaming from the news, and as far as I know I was too, but tears were falling the whole time.  
"Oh God, Ella" I cried. My knees got weaker and I had to lean against the car. "I can't do this. Derek's is going to flip. I can't lose him" I felt sick. Ella put her arms around me, and we stood there for what seemed like an eternity. She opened the door, and returned to the driver's seat.

I knew Ella thought I was nuts, I knew that she thought Derek wanted this life, because he told me he wanted me, and wanted what I wanted, but I also knew that Derek wasn't the father type. How many Dads wear leather jackets and go around threatening teens? Sure that was before we moved to town, but I knew he was still that big bad wolf. This baby thing was just going to prove me right – and I really didn't need that. I'd done the whole trust issues thing before, I've had those men in my life who told me it would all be OK, and then it wasn't – and just for once I wished this could be the real thing. I thought the supernatural would be the real thing. And that thought sounded like a bad joke when I really analyzed it. Which was what I was forced to do when this situation arose.

"You good?" she whispered standing by the foot of the stairs.  
"Mhm, I just need some rest" I smiled. I felt exhausted by the thought of the next few days. I was going to have to muster every ounce of confidence in my body for this announcement.  
"You have to tell him.. The sooner the better" Ella whispered before disappearing up the stairs.  
"Tell me what?" Derek interrupted my fears. "What's up?" he smiled wearing a tight black t-shirt.  
"Oh nothing, I'm just really tired. I-I'm.. I'm sick, got the flu" I lied. For whatever reason I thought I'd be able to withstand that lie without further questioning.  
"Evelyn, what's going on?" he asked. "You haven't really been acting like yourself.. And you feel... I mean I feel you. And you don't feel like yourself" he continued. Of course I didn't feel like myself, I was myself plus a little more.  
"Derek.." was all I could utter before blacking out.

. . .

"Evy, Evy, wake up" I could hear Ella's worried voice. "How do you feel? Are you- are you in pain? Is it.. Is it the flu?" she asked carefully. Was Derek in the room? The flu? What was she talking about? _Oh my God,_ I understood what she meant. What was wrong? Was something wrong with me? With the..  
"Evelyn? What's wrong?" Derek was leaning over me.  
"Oh my God. What happen?" I cried as I rushed to sit up. My head was spinning too quickly for me to think straight, but all I knew was that I was scared. Scared about losing what I'd just been given. Scared of losing this feeling that I'd had these past days that I was more than just me. Of losing this thing that might risk my relationship to Derek, but I need this, I can't lose it. I just can't.  
"Ella. Ella we need to go, I need to check" I was crying, shouting, slightly crazed.  
"I've already called" Ella assured as I stood up. "I'm sure you're OK, I'm sure it's nothing" Ella comforted as tears kept streaming down my face.  
"What is going on? Who have you called, Ella?" Derek interrupted. "What's wrong?" he yelled when no one answered him. I followed my sister's eyes on Derek and we stared at him for a moment.  
"I've called Evelyn's doctor. We need to see him" Ella said shifting her gaze from him to the floor.  
"Look, I know you said you were going to your pack, but could you just watch Charlie for a while?" Ella wore a responsible voice this time, more responsible than I'd ever heard her.  
"No, no of course not" Derek was pissed. "I have the right to know what the fuck is going on here" he shouted, but supported my body at the same time.  
"Derek, I'll tell you" I was crying again. "I'll tell you, I just have to know if there's still anything to tell" I cried even harder now.  
"OK. But I'm coming with you, I'll take you" he said leading me towards the door. "Ella, could you stay with Charlie?" it sounded like Derek was pleading at this point.  
"I'll meet you there, his nap is over soon, I'll be there in not too long" she confirmed.

"Ms. Hallock, your sister said it was an emergency. What happen?" the doctor asked when we entered the office.  
"I blacked out, and I don't know what happen, I just. I need to know what's going on" I said nervously. I could feel Derek's eyes on me.  
"OK, let's not jump to conclusions yet. I think we'll move that ultrasound appointment to right now" he said as he led us towards another room. "If you could just lie down and try to calm yourself I'll get a nurse to bring in the monitor" he said. Derek was still standing beside me, looking even more confused than earlier. At this point I couldn't even feel the fear of his reaction – it didn't even matter.  
A nurse pushed a little screen into the room. "Could you lift your blouse a little?" she smiled.  
The chill of the blue gel on my stomach reached my back momentarily. "Try to relax" the nurse comforted. She slid a remote across my belly searching for answers.  
The reassuring sound of a strong beat allowed me to breathe. "Just as I thought" the doctor smiled. "You are fine, your child is fine. This is not as uncommon as most people think. Mothers get excited, stressed, scared and forget to calm themselves down. Just take it easy, remember to eat and drink well" he comforted. "And that there" the doctor pointed at the screen, "that's your little one" he smiled. "I'll give you two a moment" he said as he and the nurse disappeared out the door. I stared at the screen and tried to focus on the little dot. That was my dot. That was Derek's dot too.. I focused my eyes on him slowly. He was still staring at my exposed belly.  
"Derek?" I wasn't really sure if I wanted a response. I pulled down my blouse. His eyes shot up from my stomach to my face in a split second. "Please don't rip my throat out" I tried to laugh. Really, really, sincerely bad time to pull a werewolf joke. I'd never understood the line about eyes penetrating your soul before now. "Derek" I was a bit less confident now. "Derek, please say something" I pleaded.  
"Here you are" the doctor walked in holding a picture of the sonogram.  
"Thank you, erh.. We'll be off then" I said as I took Derek's hand and tugged it.

He turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car. "Derek, you have to speak to me. You have to say something" I said as we walked towards the door.  
"I? I have to say something?" he raised his voice. "You are the one who has kept this from me" he continued.  
"Derek, it's not like that. I only found out today, really. I mean I took the tests, but this morning, I went to the doctor and had it confirmed" I babbled.  
"Why couldn't you tell me when you took the test? Or when you suspected that you had to take a test at all?" he yelled. My tears were racing towards the ground now. "W-why are you crying?" Derek's voice softened.  
"Why are you yelling?" I barked back, I tried to prepare myself for his reaction, but he has no reason to be _angry_ with me. "All you have to do is leave. You have no right to be angry. It's not like this happened all by my own doings" I screamed.  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Derek seemed genuinely confused. "I'm not pissed because you're pregnant, Evelyn. What the hell? I'm pissed because I thought you were sick for Christ sake" he yelled.  
"Your body felt different, I've never felt that before, besides you and Ella were whispering about telling me something, and you've been reeking of fear the past days" he said. I felt an overwhelming relaxation soar through my body.  
"I-I was scared of how you'd react" was all I could mutter. "And rightfully so" I whispered to myself.  
"Evelyn, what is there to be scared about? I already promised my life to you. So our life together is starting a little sooner than planned, so what?" he said. I didn't really know how to react. "Let's just go inside. You need to get some sleep" he said as he opened the door.

"Evy? I got your text telling me not to come. What happened?" Ella asked as she rushed towards me.  
"Nothing, it's all good. See" I showed her the picture.  
"Is that my little niece or nephew?" she made a childish voice. "So everything is good?" she asked shifting her eyes towards Derek. He snapped the picture out of her hands and studied it carefully.  
"What? I didn't have a chance to see it on the monitor" he answered Ella's annoyed look.  
"It's your picture you can stare at it all you want when I'm done" Ella snapped it back.  
"My kid, my picture, my rules" Derek grabbed the picture and ran into the living room. Ella ran after him stretching for the picture. My heart skipped a beat when I heard him say "my kid". It was finally sinking in. We were going to have a kid. Together.  
"I'm going to take a nap" I called at the two as I walked up the stairs. I was barely awake by the time my head hit the pillow.  
It was dark outside when I finally opened my eyes. I had this funny feeling, like a feather being brushed against my skin. "What are you doing?" I asked surprised to find Derek on one elbow with his other hand softly caressing my stomach (which was bare at this point).  
"I didn't mean to wake you" Derek said awkwardly, momentarily sitting up in the bed.  
"You didn't.. How long have you been in here?" I asked.  
"Not long.. " he stared at my belly.  
"You're lying" I laughed as I threw a pillow at him. He responded by meeting my lips in one swift movement. He pulled back and rested his head on the pillow next to mine.  
"Are you scared?" he asked me. His gaze was intense.  
"No, not really. Not anymore. I'm more excited than scared" I answered. "But you are" I said placing my hand on his heart.  
"No I'm not" he blushed. He actually turned rather pinkish. I had to giggle – I mean I'd never imagined Derek ever blushing. "OK, a bit. I'm going to be a father. Holy shit" he whispered.


	9. Christmas, New Years and the past

I woke up alone to the sound of voices beneath me. "What's going on in here?" I asked as I wrapped my robe around me. "Hcrrhm" I coughed to make myself visible. No response – go figure.. "Excuse me?" I called by the foot of the stairs. Time for physical measures. I picked up the newspaper and rolled it up. *SMACK* I hit the back of Stiles' head.  
"Wha- what the hell, Evy?" Stiles rubbed the back of his head. "I see your baby-daddy is rubbing off on you" he said annoyed yet smiling.  
"Ella! You told him!" I accused while she attempted to wipe off the smeared lip-gloss.  
"I'm sorry Evy, he noticed your mood, and then Derek walked out of here with the hugest grin, I mean, he's not stupid" Ella defended herself. I gave her a doubtful look.  
"Soooo.. I'm gonna be an uncle!" Stiles ignored my look.  
"I forbid my child from calling you uncle" Derek walked in just in time to hear Stiles' excitement.  
"Evy, I found this gorgeous white dress the other day, it would be perfect for you! You have to see it come on" Ella pulled me back up the stairs.  
"You already showed me the dress, Ella" I said when we got to her room. She'd found the dress the night after we told her we were engaged, to be honest it really was beautiful.  
"Hey, do you want juicy details or not?" she whispered beaming towards me. She continued before I could answer, probably anticipating my response. "We talked last night. For hours. And I told him how I felt. Like all of it" she said excited. "And we didn't have school today, so we went for a walk this morning. And he kissed me!" she squeezed my hand. "Can you believe that? We're together" she giggled. Ella had gotten so girly these last days – it was so unlike her old self.  
"I can, I just saw you. You were.. erh… rather fierce" I said wiping away the lip-gloss she failed to remove.  
"Yeah, sorry about that… Didn't see you" she shrugged.

"So what's up with them?" Derek asked as Stiles and Ella walked out the door.  
"They're a thing now" I smiled as I turned on the stove. I was starving even though I had my breakfast only a couple hours ago. This pregnant thing was really getting to my appetite.  
"That can't possibly be good" Derek laughed as he wrapped his arms around me. Oh my God he smelled so good. I pulled his face to my mouth. He tasted so sweet. My breath was getting unsteady and I could feel my heart beat pick up speed. "Slow down there, what's gotten in to you?" he smiled. I sincerely didn't know.  
"Nothing, but Charlie's at daycare and Ella's out, and soon enough we won't be alone for years…" I pouted childishly.  
"Well, when you put it that way" Derek kissed my lips wildly. He wrapped my legs around his waist and made his way to the bedroom. His body felt warm and soft against mine. "I love you" he whispered between our kisses. His hands were unbuttoning my blouse and I found mine unbuckling his belt. I felt him growing in my hold. He fell back on the bed, pulling me on top of him. It did not take long before my entire body convulsed on top of him.  
I was in my own little blissful world when Derek leaned over me. "You have to eat" he said as he pulled me up.  
"No just let me stay in bed for a minute. I have to recover from your dazzling bedroom techniques" I teased.  
"No way, your stomach is growling" he protested. I gave him a challenging look. "I guess we're doing this the hard way" he said as he lifted me up.  
"OK. OK, I'll go eat" I giggled as he started to walk. "You're such a bossy person" I taunted as I pulled my clothes back on.

. . .

"Merry Christmas!" Ella jumped into the room. The wolf's eyes widened of surprise when she took another leap and landed on his feet positioned at the end of the bed. "Sorry" she said as she adjusted her placement.  
"Merry Christmas!" I beamed back even louder than she had. "Oh my God, I slept in" I shrieked as I saw the time. I was supposed to be up half an hour ago – everything was ruined!  
"No, no you haven't. I turned off the alarm so I could get things ready downstairs for once" Ella said apologetically. "I thought you needed the sleep" she answered my slightly disapproving look. "I'll go get Charlie" she said as she disappeared out the room.  
"Merry Christmas Wolfy!" I surprised Derek with a huge bear hug. "Hurry up, hurry up!" I called as I pulled on my thick Christmas socks.  
"What are those?" Derek asked pointing as Santa's little helpers warming my toes.  
"They're my Christmas socks… Hurry!" I said pulling his arm like a little child.  
"Hey, baby! Merry Christmas" I kissed Charlie on the cheek. It just hit me that this was his first Christmas, and he'd be spending it with me, instead of his parents. I quickly wiped away my tears and grabbed the Christmas cookies I'd made the night before. "Let's open some presents!" I let out.

"Oh my God, Derek! You bought me something from the list!" Ella said pointing at her wish list which hung above the stockings by the chimney. She gave him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the iPod newfound wolf brother" she gave him another quick squeeze before handing him his present.  
"I hope you liked the color, they have it in purple too if you want to exchange it" Derek said pointing at the pod.  
"It's great! Open yours already!" she giggled as he struggled to open it in a respective manner. She had taped the lid on the box several times and Derek had to use his teeth to get it lose. The box contained a green tie with Rudolf and his blinking nose and a scrapbook. The scrapbook at large capital letters reading "A werewolf's guide to Hallock".  
"What is it?" I asked curiously.  
"It's our family" she said "There are bullet points of likes and dislikes for me and Evy, so you never make a mistake… Evy's favorite recipes are in there, so you can cook her something great when you're married. There are pictures of Evy, and me from when we were kids, and Bryan and Laura. And that's the picture Evy took of us the day Charlie was born" she finished pointing at a picture Derek had taken out. He looked sincerely stunned.  
"Ella, that's… very thoughtful" I said. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the picture – almost a year ago we were all gathered around Laura and her newborn baby boy.  
"Uhm… Ella, this is great. This is perfect, really, thank you" Derek couldn't bring himself to look any one of us in the eyes even when reaching out for another hug from Ella.  
"Here, open it" Derek gave me a box which was wrapped. When I unwrapped the gift paper I saw the most marvelous little silver box. The box had what looked like ancient symbols all over it. It was like one straight out of a fairy tale.  
"Oh my God, Derek, it's beautiful. Where did you get it? It's amazing" I was mesmerized by its beauty.  
Derek rolled his eyes. "Open it..?" he asked with a slight sarcastic undertone. I stuck my tongue out as if that was my plan this whole time. I tried opening it, but it just wouldn't budge.  
Suddenly Derek grabbed my left hand. I looked up at him in surprise. He brought my ring finger to the front of the box and placed the diamond on my engagement ring on the lock. It opened. The inside of the case was black velvet and in the middle laid a gold necklace. I gasped at the sight of the tiny blue sapphire stone placed at the middle of the pendant. "My mom gave that to me a while before she died. It was given to her by her mother-in-law, my dad's mother. It's been in the family for centuries. My mother told me that I'd know who to give it to when the time came… What do you think?" he asked unsure of himself. My heart fluttered and the tears started streaming. "Y-you don't like it? That's.. That's OK" Derek said with his heartbreaking kicked puppy look.  
"Are.. you.. kidding?" I asked as I threw myself into his arms. "Derek, it's beautiful, I love it. It's wonderful" I sniffed. It took me some time to calm myself down, but eventually my heart rate was healthy again.  
The pile of wrapping paper was at its peak and we were now down to one gift. A long, broad, flat gift. Derek's gift. "Merry Christmas, I hope you like it" I said as I gave it to him. He unwrapped it and discovered the big photo frame, in the middle was a picture. "Laura gave it to me when she was pregnant with Charlie. She wanted to show me her only family left" a tear escaped my eye once again. There was a picture of a young Laura Hale sitting on a bench in a park on a sunny day, and a little toddler with dark hair sitting on her lap. It was the only memory Laura had left after the fire. Derek's eyes widened.  
"I-I.. I don't have any pictures of her. Of us from when we were kids. They all burnt down" he whispered. "Thank you" he whispered once again, kissing me softly.

"You are one fat person. You suck" I told myself as I struggled to zip my dress up. Just for today I wished I'd had my old body back, the slimmer version.  
"You are a liar" Derek said walking in the bedroom door. He unzipped my dress and held a bag in front of me. "You are beautiful. You're more beautiful then you've ever been" he said placing his hand gently on my stomach. There was only a slight visible difference – a tiny little bump on my belly.  
"What's this?" I asked staring at the bag he dangled in front of me.  
"It's a little gift from me and Ella" he said. "Well, go ahead" he motioned to the bag. I slipped into the wonderful red dress that they'd gotten for me. And it fit.  
"See. You're beautiful" Derek repeated. He zipped me up and it felt perfect on my body – for the first time in a couple weeks I felt like I wasn't an elephant.  
The doorbell rang and Ella rushed to answer it. "Hi Mr. Stilinsky, Merry Christmas!" she hugged him.  
"Merry Christmas, honey" I heard him reply. I was the next to greet him with a big hug.  
"Hey, hey, hey. It's Christmas, act civilized you two" the sheriff said as Ella gave Stiles a bit too welcoming Christmas kiss. "Derek, Merry Christmas!" Mr. Stlinsky shared a rather awkward handshake with Derek.  
"Dinner's ready, let's eat!" I said as I lead everyone to the dining table.  
"I see the cravings they speak of on Discovery channel are kicking in" Stiles commented. I gave him a replying slap on the head.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Christmas day went by quickly, it was hard not having Bryan or Laura with us, but we still felt like a family – and that was all that we really needed. The next weeks flew by, the New Year had started, whatever time Ella wasn't spending with me planning the wedding, she was spending with Stiles. Derek spent a lot of time with the pack, preparing them for some independent training when the time came. I was glad to see that he felt a commitment to me, to our family. The doctor's appointments were going well, our little dot looked like an oversized orange by now. The next appointment would reveal the sex of our little one, Derek didn't really seem too excited about it, I don't really think he even wanted to know, but I couldn't wait. By March the wedding plans were done, Derek really wanted to get married before I delivered, but I couldn't imagine looking like a swollen potato on my wedding day so that was out of the question.  
"We could be legally wed by the end of the week, Evelyn" Derek whined as I brushed my teeth.  
"Derek. We talked about this, I do not want to have a parachute for a wedding dress" I complained.  
"All I'm saying is, I would like our child to be born into a normal family. I mean, my family doesn't even practice the tradition of marriage, so if we're going to do this, why not do it the right way?" he argued.  
"A normal family?" I flashed my eyes at him. "What's the 'right way' anyway? No one is forcing your hand here wolfman. You can still call this whole thing off if you want to. And when our little boy or girl eventually asks me where Daddy is I'll tell them he had a technicality problem with our arrangement" I blurted out.  
"Whoa, hormonal much there momma-bear?" Ella entered the room.  
"It's just a bit too early in the morning for Mrs. Wolf" Derek answered her.  
"That's Ms. Wolf to you two… As I've made abundantly clear, I am still a Ms., and will continue to be one until I can see my toes again" I warned.  
"Yeah whatevs… But, uhm, Evy... You should go downstairs, we've got company" Ella informed looking away from Derek.

"Josh? Erh… What are you doing here?" I asked as I placed myself in front of the tall alpha. The tall man leaned down and kissed my cheek before pulling back slightly.  
"I- I was in the neighborhood" he joked. "So, I might be wrong, but are you… bigger?" Josh gave me a nervous smile as he asked that question.  
"I'm pregnant stupid" I felt like punching him. "Uhm, come inn… You want some coffee?" I asked.  
"Preg- pregnant? Woah... That was… quick. Well, is it mine?" he raised his eyebrows and smiled broadly.  
"You jerk. It's been a year and a half, no it's not yours" even though we weren't the friendliest of people the last time we spoke, he still made me laugh.  
Derek's cleared his throat. Oh shit. I hadn't thought of how awkward this situation would be.  
"Derek, honey, this is… an old friend. Joshua. Josh, this is my fiancé, Derek. Laura's brother" I added.  
"Nice to meet you" Joshua shook Dereks hand. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be in town for a couple days, I'll be in touch" he gave my hand a squeeze before giving Derek a nod. He walked towards the front door. "Oh, and Evy? Congrats with the pregnancy, I'm happy for you, love" Josh flashed a brilliant smile before leaving.  
"Josh left already? I didn't get to say goodbye…" Ella said sarcastically. "Oh well" she faked a frown.  
"Who was that?" Derek seemed a little too curious. His eyes were slightly darker than before, was that the scent of jealousy I smelt?  
"That.. He's the alpha of a pack from Maine. Laura and I met him once when we accidentally stepped into his territory. We stayed in touch a while after that little misunderstanding…" I tried to explain. The words came out a bit too fast to seem casual.  
"_That_. That would have been competition if you hadn't knocked up my sister" Ella finished for me.


	10. Flowers or cars?

Ella disappeared out of the house a half an hour after our visitor. After, of course, making a highly awkward atmosphere. Why did she have to say it like that? Derek was going to be all quiet now, brewing over that stupid "competition" comment. And it was all Ella's fault. Damn that girl and her unfiltered mouth.  
"I'm hungry, you want anything?" I smiled as I got up to go to the kitchen. I was hoping to get a reply that would indicate no hard feelings.  
"Let me get it for you, I wouldn't want to be out-competed by your alpha's greatness now" he got up quickly.  
"Derek. Don't start" I warned. I was not ready to go down the ex's path right now. Besides, I'm pretty sure Laura said he used to get it on with their family's archenemy. I would of course never use that against him, it must have been hard. But he of all people should be familiar with the word "mistake" after that.  
"What? I'm not starting anything. You have an ex. That's normal right? It's not like I was praying for a white wedding or anything.." he grinned as he left the living room. Motherfucker. Did he just say "white wedding"?  
"Excuse me? What is it you think of me?" I exclaimed as I stood up a little too quickly. My head was spinning and Derek's arms were around me before I fell back onto the couch.  
"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it. I'm just saying everyone has a past.. So what?" he said indifferently. Whoa. That was easy. I smiled at my accomplished plan to not make a big deal out of this as he walked back into the kitchen.

"But with an alpha?!" Derek stormed back in with a shaking plate and a glass of water five minutes later. It couldn't be that easy right? Why the fuck not. Derek gave me a calm but inquisitive look, but failed to prove his stability.  
"Hey, hey, calm down. We weren't in love or anything. It was just a little mistake. He was a werewolf, I had just been turned, I needed someone to talk to, he was there. We started out as friends, things happened, yes, but it was never more than just a flingish thing" I raised my hands in defense.  
He gave me a doubtful look. "Are you seriously doubting my commitment to this relationship?" I growled, rubbing my little bump.  
"No. I just.. Why is he here anyway?" Derek said genuinely calming himself down.  
"I don't know. But I'm sure he has a reason..." it couldn't possibly be a good one I added in my head. I may not have been too serious with Joshua, but I knew him enough to predict some kind of 'disturbance it the force' – which is what Ella called our relationship at the time.  
"Urgh. Boys are so stupid sometimes" I said to my bump. "If you're a boy, you better be nicer than the others" I continued as I pushed my empty plate away.  
"I _am _nice. You agree, don't you?" he addressed to the bump. His eyes widened as my body stiffened. I stared at the bump. "Did he just agree?" Derek's eyes widened even more as I nodded. His hands flew to my stomach as another little thud made an abdominal movement.  
"Ouch" I cried as the bump expanded again. "You know I love you, but could you keep it down just for now? You're a fierce one, you know" I smiled as I rubbed my belly trying to calm the little one down.  
"He's strong" Derek said, "like his mom" he added.  
"He? What has gotten you convinced?" I asked giggling at Derek's assumption.  
"Well, he agreed to what I had to say. You're all spiritual and whatnot, don't you take that as a sign?" he explained his hypothesis.  
"Or _she_ agreed with her mother" I strongly suggested. "While we're on the topic, our next appointment is in a couple days. Do you still not want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" I raised my eyebrows.  
"I- I never said I didn't want to. But I just… I like surprises" he lied.

Derek was getting more and more nervous as the little nudges got stronger and stronger. As confident as he looked in his black leather jacket he didn't really send out too convincing vibes about being ready for this. I could hear his heart beat faster every time I felt a kick – he tried to play it off as excitement as he plastered on a sticky smile.  
"Hey, Derek, it's normal to be scared of becoming a dad" Scott comforted joining his friends at the dining table after having raided the fridge. Derek seemed to have forgotten that I wasn't the only one who could catch his emotions. Considering we hadn't even officially mated, I hadn't had the kiss of wolf yet, I assumed Scott could feel him almost as well as I could. Allison quickly gave Scott a 'that was uncool' look before smiling politely at Derek.  
"I would be more scared of being the one sharing a kid with _that_ dad…" Stiles shot a warning yet playful look at me. Allison took a cue from me and slapped Stiles on the back of his head. "Hey! I've officially been claimed for further abuse. Ella's the only one who can touch me from now on" Stiles said _touch_ in a bit too icky manner for my taste. Ella slapped the back of his head. "That's more like it" Stiles said slightly annoyed.  
"Scott, Allison, keep an eye on Stiles for me would yah? We've got to be off now" I waved at the group of teens.  
"Let us know what the verdict is!" Stiles shouted as we hurried to the car.

"Everything looks great, your child is growing quickly, you're doing a wonderful job" the doctor complimented me. It felt great to know that everything was going well – no matter how many books I read nothing assured me as much as the healthy results. And now, knowing what I know, I couldn't stop grinning. The drive home was pretty quiet. Derek was getting pretty pissed, but he knew that if he commented my joy I would reveal my little secret.  
"Congrats, Evy! Allison has been waiting to go gift shopping for weeks now, but she said we had to wait until we knew if it was a boy or a girl…" Scott hugged me as he made his way out of the house.  
"Thanks, Scott, but don't say anything, Derek insists on waiting for the surprise" I quickly warned. Allison gave me a huge hug too telling me I was going to be the best mother. I loved this – everyone is so nice when you're pregnant.  
"You told Scott? That means…" Derek growled.  
"Mamawolf! This is so exciting. Do you have another picture?" Stiles called as Derek's annoyance grew. Stiles kept making weird toddler noises at the picture and it was freaking me out. Even Charlie looked slightly confused when Stiles continued.  
"We'll take Charlie out for a while, see yah later" Ella called as she kissed my cheek.  
"You just had to tell everyone?" Derek complained as he took my coat off.  
"I just found out what kind of parenting will be required for at least the next 18 years of my life, excuse me if I'm a little excited" I snapped.  
"What do you mean?" Derek seemed genuinely confused.  
"Well, I mean I just found out what kind of teen-crisis's I'll be faced with, and what kind of questions will be asked etc." I smiled. "You didn't think puberty was the same for a boy and a girl now did you?" I teased.  
"Puberty.. That's.. I didn't think.. I mean that's like.. In a long time" Derek's nervous look was back – he actually broke a sweat.  
"Well, I just got a head start on the preparations, and besides, now I can tell the shopkeeper at the baby store to suck it when she asks if I want neutral colors" I giggled. "I remember Laura was always so frustrated when they told her that she should've chosen to know the sex so she could buy suitable clothes" I smiled to myself remembering how Laura got all watery-eyed when people kept asking her what the sex was. She too, like Derek, didn't want to know the sex of her child, though Bryan, unlike me, decided to stay oblivious too for the sake of his hormonal partner.  
"Suitable clothes? Like pink dresses and stuff?" Derek asked.  
"Or a black leather jacket" I stated simply for the pure fun of keeping him annoyed.

I dragged my feet to the door to see the cause of that familiar scent. "Joshua. Hi" I said slightly annoyed by the unannounced visit. Derek swiftly joined my side greeting Josh with just enough of a smile to not be construed as a jealous maniac.  
"I'm sorry to just drop in like this, but I needed to tell you something" Josh explained once we were all seated in the living room. "I stumbled upon some other packs a couple months ago, one of them were headed here. They said they were looking for Peter Hale… I know you have nothing to do with him, none of you, but they might stir up some trouble simply because you're related" Josh warned. "I would advise you to come along with me, but I see you've got your own pack of protectors here, just be careful" Josh smiled cheekily. I swear I saw Derek's hand twitch, but his manners were in place.  
"What do you know about this pack? Why are they after Peter?" Derek asked.  
"I don't really know much. All I know is that they had some unfinished business with Peter. I don't think they're an aggressive pack by nature, they were Equus, but even they can get pretty riled up if they've been confronted by the wrong people" Josh answered. They both seemed to ignore my lack of knowledge about.. Egus?  
"Thank you Josh" I put my hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for warning us even though…" I trailed off.  
"Hey, anything for you darlin'" he smiled as he opened the front door. "By the way, is it a boy or a girl?" Joshua asked.  
"Erh… I can't really say anything – Derek doesn't know yet, and I sorta promised him I wouldn't reveal it to him" I said apologetically.  
"I see… Hot wheels or Bionicles?" it surprised me that he remembered that personal gender analogy. It was the different toys that me and my brother used to play with, Bryan and Josh struck up a conversation about it once when Laura was stressing about gender based clothes.  
"Hot Wheels" I giggled, he gave me a congratulatory peck on the cheek and I could sense Derek's stiffness.  
"I won't be coming back to Beacon Hills in a while, so… Good luck with all this. Let me know if you need our help" he referred to his own pack.  
"Thanks, say hi to the others for me will you?" I said slightly guilty for cutting off all bonds with my other werewolf friends after leaving Josh almost two years ago.  
"What was that about?" Derek asked slightly annoyed by the internal joke with my ex.  
"What? He wondered if it was a boy or a girl.. I told him.." I rolled my eyes innocently.  
"I thought he was just a fling? Flings usually don't have too many memories to bond over" he shrugged accusingly, though he was smiling, probably just to make sure I didn't take it too seriously.  
"We were friends long before we were a fling. We got together right after Charlie was born, and it didn't last too long…" I explained.  
We were interrupted by Ella and Charlie. "I just saw Josh, he's leaving?" Ella actually looked slightly remorseful for her earlier comments about his arrival now.  
"Yes, you can both live peacefully as before" I joked.  
"It's not that I didn't like him or anything, come one Evy, you knew we were tight… It was just- he wasn't meant for you, and Laura thought…" she looked a little guilty.  
"I know, I know, Laura told me several times, and I agreed, sorta why I broke up with him in the first place…" I let her off the hook.  
"What did Laura think?" Derek asked curiously.  
"She said she knew we weren't a good match. She told me she could feel that it was wrong… That it was some kind of alpha power to feel when things weren't right" I explained. Derek's mouth widened to a smile, he looked up "Thanks, sis" he whispered before helping me up the stairs.  
"What?" I asked as we moved.  
"It's not that she could sense that you weren't meant for Josh, but she could sense that you were meant for someone who either was in her original pack, or would later be a part of it" he explained, "That is the alpha power… To sense a potential bond in the future" he smiled. I couldn't believe Laura never told me that, why couldn't she just have said "The love of your life is going to be my brother" or something like that? Regardless of what she did/did not say I felt really happy, that meant she had a feeling we'd end up together…

"Whyyyyyy?" I mumbled into my pillow.  
"Evelyn, what's wrong?" Derek asked sitting up quickly.  
"You. You are my problem" the cranky pregnant woman came out at hours like these. "Why are you tossing and turning. We came to bed two hours ago and you're still fidgeting!" I hissed.  
"I'm sorry, Evelyn… I didn't mean to keep you awake, I'm sorry" he whispered in a hushed, sad voice. Great, now I had to feel bad for him.  
"What's wrong?" I asked as I turned on the little lamp on the bed stand. Now that there was some dim lighting I could see Derek's facial expression. He looked like he was one hormonal comment away from crying. His eyes were deep and dark, but not in the usual scary grumpy wolf way, this was different. I hadn't seen him like this before, and to be honest he kinda broke my heart a little. This was way past the kicked puppy stage. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Are you OK?" I was unsure of how to comfort him so I just laid my head on his bare chest. "You can tell me if something is wrong" I offered, hoping he would tell me why he looked like a kid who had lost his Ernie.  
"Was it a boy or a girl?" Derek whispered.  
"I thought you didn't want to know?" I was surprised by the topic.  
"I didn't, but now I do. I want to be prepared. I mean we haven't even fixed up the room yet. What colors should the walls be? Which prints – flowers or cars? And names, fuck. We haven't even decided on what to call the poor kid. How am I supposed to be good at this when I can't even think of a name?" his words were stumbling out so quickly I almost felt like laughing, but I held it inn.  
"Derek, oh God. Honey, why didn't you tell me about all this? It's not unusual Derek. But we've got months. Ella asked me the other day if we wanted to get started on the room next week. Does that sound good?" I asked as if I were speaking to a child. "We've got time for all that. You're going to be a great Dad! Most parents don't even give a shit about the wallpaper in the room. You should have seen my walls as a kid… Clowns, urgh" I shuddered of the memory. "And you'd be surprised by the amount of baby x *insert last name*'s there are born every day. There's no need to rush" I soothed him.  
"But… erh…" turned his head away from mine. "Could you still tell me if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked blushing slightly of embarrassment.  
"Nu-uh, you said you didn't want to know. Look at yourself, you weak supernatural being, can't even go one day without knowing!" I giggled. He turned around and faced me. His lips started tracing mine. He moved them up to my ear, my jawline…  
"Can you tell me now?" he asked innocently. I couldn't reply. I knew I'd reveal it if I opened my mouth. He moved his lips down my neck and back up to my ear. "How about now?" he teased. It should be considered torture to tease a pregnant woman, especially when her partner looked like a Greek god. Derek moved his lips to mine once again, this time attempting to part them. He succeeded.  
"M-okay, get off!" I pushed him away. "I'll tell you" I laughed. "You are going to be the father of…" he rolled his eyes at my dramatic drum roll. "A baby girl" I smiled.  
Derek's eyes widened and the biggest smile reached his lips in no time. He rubbed my belly saying stuff like "you are going to be a princess!". It was cute, but it was also kinda freaky – he attempted to wear one of those childish voices Stiles always speaks in. I let him talk to our little girl for a while before entering the conversation with my evil laughter. "Why are you laughing like that? You're going to scare our baby" Derek complained. It was the first time I heard him say "our baby" and it kinda sent butterflies through my whole body.  
"Oh, well, you know those preparations I was talking about?" Derek raised an eyebrow at where this sentence was leading.  
"Well, guess who's going to be chasing after boys when she turns fifteen! And you know what kinda boys live in Beacon Hills? Stiles-like boys…" I continued to laugh even after seeing the horrific expression on Derek's face.  
"That's just plain mean" he mumbled before kissing me good-night. For the first time in a week or so he didn't go to bed with that same nervous expression, though the Stiles-comment did leave his eyes temporarily scarred with fear…


	11. A New Arrival

Picking out wallpaper wasn't as hard for Derek as he imagined, I could tell that he'd eased up over the next few weeks, but he'd become more protective than before. It didn't come as a surprise though, even Stiles had become more protective of me and Ella. Joshua's news about other werewolves heading towards Beacon Hills kinda freaked us all out a bit, but there hadn't been any further information about the matter, and we hadn't sensed any other creatures in the town, at least not yet. Derek was still nagging about the marriage thing, this time using mating as his argument.  
"You know that if we mate, other packs will be even more hesitant to stepping into our territory. It's like an unspoken thing, it lets them know that we have a structured pack, with an Alpha couple. We're stronger together" he explained one evening.  
"We are pretty strong just as we are" I defended. "I told you, I don't want to be pregnant at my own wedding. It's just a bit tacky…" I shrugged. Derek was having a hard time understanding what I meant, and it was pretty strange trying to explain it to him. "We'll be mates in no time, I give you my word" I giggled. "Just gotta get our little girl into the world first" I said. Derek still looked like he couldn't understand why I wanted to wait. I guess it was just the perks of being born human.  
"Are you still fussing about getting married earlier?" Ella asked as she and her little gang entered the living room. Derek blushed slightly as he noticed our private conversation wasn't a too quiet one.  
"I've gotta say though, I'm with Derek on this one" Scott supported him. "Why not just get it over with?" he shrugged.  
"Yeah, it's probably better to get it done with before your little furball comes along anyway…" Stiles entered the conversation. Scott nodded in agreement as if it was just the simple matter of sliding a ring on each other's fingers. Ella, Allison and their little red haired friend Lydia sighed in unison. All three of them looked at the last member of their little pack who hadn't yet said a word.  
"What do you think, Jackson?" Stiles asked the newest werewolf in the pack.  
The tall, handsome boy shrugged and avoided eye contact with any of the girls.  
"You agree with _them_?" Lydia asked not too surprised. Jackson tried to conceal his agreement by eyeing Stiles and Scott, giving them the "why did you have to drag me into this" look.  
"Regardless, this is a matter for me and Evelyn…" Derek said though I could see the gratitude he held for the boys at that moment.  
"Well, you don't seem to get it, so someone's gotta help out Evy" Lydia pointed out.  
"What is it he doesn't get?" Scott asked innocently. All three girls looked at each other and then looked at me. I was pretty sure that none of the guys in that room understood us, but the girls seemed pretty astonished that they didn't share mutual feelings about this matter.  
"How is it none of you get this?" Allison asked seeming genuinely shocked. All of the boys, including Derek rested their inquisitive gazes on her. "Scott, you just suggested that they just get it over with" Allison rolled her eyes at how stupid her boyfriend's remark sounded.  
"And Stiles you're no better" Ella continued as she wiped Stiles' smirk right off.  
"What is it we don't get? Tell us, we're just dying to know" Jackson said sarcastically though we all knew that they were dying to find the missing link.  
"A marriage... No scratch that, marriage is nothing. A _wedding day_ is the most important day of a woman's life. Screw first crushes, first kisses, first _anythings_" Lydia paused to catch her breath after her exaggerated, but true statement.  
"If a woman has at all set her mind on one day possibly getting married it can't be done halfway" Allison continued.  
"Most women, and especially in this hopeless romantic's case" Ella paused to refer to me, "have been planning their wedding since they were like twelve" she rolled her eyes in a matter-of-fact manner. "It's a tradition that can in no way be compared to any tradition a man has ever been compassionate about" she continued.  
"Like superbowl" Stiles pointed out. I could almost see a light bulb appear above Jacksons head, and Scott was grinning as if he knew exactly how it felt.  
"_Not_ like superbowl" I glowered. "We don't even really need the groom to be present, as long as the wedding has been planned orderly we really don't give a damn what happens on paper" I explained. The girls giggled in agreement. I could see little signals of fear flicker in the eyes of the boys as they realized they were discussing their own future marriages, and realizing that they really had no power over any of the coming decisions.

"So is that how the rest of our life is going to be?" I laughed as we put Charlie to bed. Derek focused his eyes one me.  
"What do you mean?" he asked totally oblivious.  
"That everything we plan has to go through the committee of teens first" I stated.  
"Hey, you won that discussion, and as of tonight, I'm never ever disagreeing with you again. I'm pretty sure the boys are planning an ambush to revenge the hell I made them pay with their girlfriends" he said.  
I had to laugh. Even Stiles looked like he was 5 seconds away from ripping Derek's throat out when Ella gave him a look of disappointment. All the girls were pretty pissed at their boyfriends' ignorance when they left. "But I guess it's not going to be too different actually… I mean they are my pack, your family, technically to everyone else we're just one big messed up family" he smirked. "Do you like our family? I mean do you mind having a pack? You're going to be their alpha female in not too long, and they already consider you their mother-type" he laughed.  
"Scott and Stiles have practically always been a part of my family, I don't mind adding a couple more to the equation" I smiled.  
"But no we're not going to have to talk to them about everything" he said seriously. "Like…" he paused.  
"Like what?" I was curious as to what he was aiming at.  
"Like a name" he continued. "There's no way I'm letting Stiles, or any of them for that matter, name my baby" he finished.  
"Do you have any suggestions?" I smiled. Derek thought for a long while. "What was your mother's name?" I asked. He smiled a peaceful smile.  
"Angelica" he answered. The name sounded so heavenly. I could just imagine a beautiful tall woman with long, dark hair and a warm, loving smile.  
"What was she like?" I asked curious to know the part of Derek I'd never really explored.  
"She was caring and warm, she was definitely the kindest in our family" Derek smiled.  
"Angelica" I said. What a beautiful name.

Weeks went by, I was getting closer and closer to the biggest days of my life, I couldn't decide though, which was biggest – Derek and I starting our new life together, or Derek and I creating a new life at all. I had to say, this pregnancy thing was really getting to me, I was in the middle of my last trimester, but was still moody as hell. I expected that to wear off after a while, I expected to be able to adjust my feelings after a while, but I couldn't. The slightest thing could make me tear up. "Evelyn" I Derek call faintly. "Evelyn" He called louder. I turned my head to him – I could feel tears filling my eyes. I sat up from my curled position on the couch. "Evelyn, what's wrong?" Derek asked worried. He quickly moved closer, sitting down beside me.  
"P-p-pay" I sobbed. I heard Ella call my name from upstairs. Derek said something in respons – it sounded like he said I couldn't be reached at the moment. I was unsure whether or not he was joking.  
"Jeez, what's up, Evy. I'm trying to ask you something" she appeared behind Derek. She looked at me, slightly shocked at first, then she looked at the TV screen, and then back at me. "You thought it was a good idea to watch this movie? Now?" she laughed at me. "False alarm, Derek. Go back to whatever you were doing" she teased. Derek eased up a little as he saw that at least one of them understood what was going on.  
"Is this some kind of skit? Am I missing something" Derek sounded genuinely confused. "Why are you crying, Evelyn?" he asked once more.  
"I'm not crying" I wiped a tear from my cheek. "I'm just venting" I explained. "Just the world is shit sometimes" I continued. Derek seemed even more confused than usual.  
"Why is the world full of shit?" he asked. I pointed at Kevin Spacey on the TV screen, he was holding around Helen Hunts waist. Derek seemed just as confused now.  
"He tried, you know" I sobbed. "And he managed. He managed to… this movie. _Pay it forward_" I finished. I was slightly shocked that he hadn't watched the movie, although long and at times slightly boring, the movie set a standard of deep stories. People doing good deeds. Saving other people.  
"OK, let's go to bed, Evy" Ella said. "Tell Derek you're OK" she said. "Derek, she just gets emotional when it comes to this. This is like the ultimate 'make-the-world-a-better-place' movie, a classic within its topic" she finished. I pushed myself to my feet. "Do we have any potato chips" I asked.  
"You want potato chips?" Derek asked in disbelief. "You were just soaking in your own tears" he continued.  
"I feel better. I'm just a bit hungry" I rubbed my huge stomach and set off to the kitchen. "Ooh, do we have dip too?" I asked them.  
"Hormones. It's not natural" I heard Derek mutter under his breath. Whatever was he talking about?

Derek crawled into bed. He wrapped his arms around my body, and held me tight in to him. "Goodnight, Evelyn" he whispered. I dozed off as he brushed his lips against my cheeks.  
…..

"Ow!" I woke up clutching my stomach. Derek was sound asleep, still clutching to my body. I slowly slid out of his arms and made my way to the bathroom. "Holy God" I tried to keep my voice low so I wouldn't wake up the whole house. The last months of pregnancy involved an awful lot of cramps and stretches, causing me to lose most of my night sleep. I gripped my stomach as another wave of pain erupted. Something didn't feel right. I looked down at my almost hidden legs, I was wet. For just a minute, I couldn't understand for the life of me, why my night pants were wet. "OW" I clutched the corner of the bathroom sink. _Oh God,_ _this is it_, I thought. I tried to rationalize, I had made an emergency plan weeks ago, I had packed a bag to bring with me, it was all ready. Except me, I had to leave now. "Derek" I rubbed his back a little, hoping the motion would wake him up. "Derek, wake up, we have to go" I leaned closer. "Derek, honey, wake up" he rolled slightly closer. "Derek. Wake up." I said louder, a bit more convincing. He grunted in response. "Derek. Wake the fuck up.. honey" I added.  
"Mmwhat's goin on?" his voice was hoarse. He opened his eyes carefully as I rumbled through the closet to find my bag.  
"We have to go. I think I'm in labor" I said as I rubbed my belly. Derek didn't move. He seemed to be frozen - he didn't even blink – just stared at me, with no apparent expression on his face.  
"Wwhat?" he raised his voice. He saw me grab my bag and move towards the door, I kept breathing steadily as I moved along.  
"Well, are you coming or not?" I called a bit louder. Derek was standing next to me within a second. "Ella, it's happening, I have to get to a hospital" I moved quickly towards her. "Ella. Honey, you have to take care of Charlie, I'm in labor" I said once again. Her eyes widened.  
"Oh my god, jeez. OK. You go, go have.. You go.. Go!" she shouted. "Derek, help her for crying out loud" she yelled at him. "Call me when you get to the hospital, I'll come as soon as I can" she smiled nervously. "You can do this" she squeezed my hand. "Go be a mom"

"Derek. Would you step on it a bit?" I snapped at Derek. He hadn't said anything yet.  
"Speed limit" he said.  
"What?" I asked.  
"I can't go above the speed limit. It's dangerous" he explained.  
"NOW? Now it's dangerous? Listen you dick, I can't take this much longer. At the rate we're going at we'll be pulled over for driving too slow!" I growled at him. He shifted gear.  
"OK. OK. I'll go a bit faster – just breathe. Breathe, Evelyn, breathe" Derek started hyperventilating as he instructed me.  
"Relax Derek, this is going to be just fi- ooouuw!" I tried to suppress the pain I was feeling right now, Dereks eyes were filled with fear. Not the 'I-don't-want-you-to-be-hurting' type of fear, but the 'I-can't-breathe' kind of fear. He helped me out of the care and carried me into the hospital.  
"Hi. I'm having a baby. Where do I put her?" Derek pointed at me while speaking to a nurse. The woman looked over her glasses. She walked slowly to a wheelchair and motioned for Derek to put me in it.  
"OK, people, first child?" she asked us. I nodded."This is what's going to happen now" she explained.

**Derek's POV:  
**The nurse was saying something about 'dilating', and 'not long now' I tried with all my might to focus. But this was big news. Shit. I have no idea how to be a father, or a husband, or anything much really. I mean, I want to know, but I've not exactly been the most socialized person these last years.  
"Derek, relax" Evelyn comforted once again as she took my hand. The nurse led us into a waiting room; thankfully there was no one else there. Evelyn was breathing heavy possibly trying to hide her pain.  
"Evelyn, are you OK?" I asked. I noticed my voice was shaking slightly; I cleared my throat as if that was the problem. "You want me to call the nurse back?" I didn't really know what to say to her right now.  
"Derek, if this is too much of a problem for you I can call Ella, you could go home and stay with Charlie", Evelyn said, her expression slightly hurt. I took her face in my hands – feeling the warmth of her cheeks.  
"Evelyn, I love you, and I want to be here. We're going to be parents, it's all going to be OK" I comforted her and myself. Her face lit up in a smile.

"I think we're ready now" the doctor said as Evelyn muffled a scream again. There was a lot of movement, nurses came in. "When I say push, Evelyn" he smiled at her. Evelyn screamed and squeezed my hands. I don't think she was quite aware of the fact that she still was a werewolf, and I'm pretty sure she shattered the bones in my hand. I l flinched slightly. She looked down at my hand, and back up at me.  
"Really? You're flinching? NOW?" she yelled. Woops.  
"Stay focused, Evelyn, one last push now" I heard the doctor call. Evelyn shouted out, at least a few profane words I'd never heard her utter before. I ran my thumb over her cheek, wiping a tear took a breath, and in that moment I heard another sound. A weak heartbeat, its strength increasing.

"Congratulations" the nurse smiled as she placed a blue blanket in Evelyn's hands. Her eyes widened as she looked down. Her peaceful expression soothed me. The immense joy in her eyes made my eyes water. I needed a moment, just to take this in. Before everything else, before being a father, before seeing my child, I needed this image of Evelyn – she looked so complete, and that me feel it.  
"Look Derek" she whispered. "Look at our angel" tears escaped her eyes as she made room for me. Slowly I took the edge of the bed, putting my arm around her shoulder, I looked down.  
I'd never felt anything like this before. Looking down, I saw my child. I felt the strangest connection, the strangest recognition, in her eyes. Her green eyes, my green eyes, were my mother's green eyes.  
The nurse came back, and took the baby from Evelyn's arms.  
"W- where are you taking my baby?" she cried. The nurse smiled warmly at us and let out a low laugh.  
"I have to get her cleaned up, dear. We'll be right back" she comforted. I looked into Evelyn's eyes.  
"We did good" I whispered as I met her lips with my own. She laughed and her eyes overflowed with tears.


	12. NOT A CHAPTER

**Hey guys!**  
**Sorry for not posting in a while, have had some Internett trouble, some life trouble, nothing major, just reorganizing shit. Anywho, hope you like story, would love reviews!**

Lots of love,  
Lizzy


	13. The box

I looked at Derek. He was holding our angel in his arms, just looking at her as she was sleeping.  
"Angelica" I said, "It's perfect". Derek looked up at me, and smiled in agreement. For the first time ever, there was no pain in his eyes. No ghost of the past haunting him. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oh my God" Ella wiped her tears as she entered the room. Stiles followed, holding Charlie. "Can I hold her?" she whispered. Her eyes widened as Derek handed her the baby.  
Charlie reached out for me, and I took him in my arms. He had a baby sister now. He had a family again. "You're a big brother now, sweetie" I told him as he hugged my neck.  
"Your daddy used to hit my on the head really hard, and call me really bad names, I hope you've changed him" Stiles laughed as he cradled Angelica. "You know baby girl, you're very lucky you look like your mother" Stiles exclaimed. That comment earned him a slap on the head. Stiles flinched "I guess he still needs some working on.. We'll get there" he told Angelica.

…

Derek opened the door to our home. "Welcome home" Scott smiled as I got in. There was a huge banner in the living room, it read "Welcome home baby Angelica". The kids had cleaned the house, they had even baked a cake.  
"Awe, guys, this is really sweet" I said as I dried my eyes. Lydia and Allison gave me a big hug before they went closer to the stroller and both their eyes melted.  
"She's so beautiful" Lydia cried. Derek picked the baby up so the girls could see her clearly.  
"She really is" Derek nodded as he rocked her back and forth. Next up were Scott and Jackson, their eyes widened when they saw her. Jackson smiled widely.  
I heard a knock on the door, to my surprise the rest of Dereks pack were standing in front of me. "Congratulations" Isaac beamed. Boyd and Erica smiled as they handed me a giftwrapped box.  
My eyes lit up as I unwrapped it. Inside was a blanket with flowers stitched on and at the bottom Angelicas name was stitched. "We made it" Erica smiled.  
"Thank you, it's beautiful" I hugged all three of them and motioned to Derek. He brought the baby closer so they could see their newest pack member.  
For just that evening everything felt normal, we felt like a normal big family. Stiles had even brought his camera and we took a family picture, it felt right. I'd never ever expected this. Somehow with everything that had gone on in my life, I didn't think I'd ever get to experience this, a big warm family. I couldn't even imagine how Derek was feeling right now.

"We should probably have gotten rid of this before the baby came along" Derek carried the box labeled "Junk". To make room for the baby we had to clear out a lot of stuff from the spare room, most of that stuff was lined up in boxes in the hallway now.  
"Who knew someone as small as you needed this much space" I teased the infant in my arms.  
"What's this?" Derek picked up a dusty old box with inscriptions all around it. My eyes widened as I saw the box. I assume Ella brought it along when we moved back. Shit, what do I say?  
"Oh that's just a memory box, you know us girls" Ella came running up from behind. Derek raised his eyebrows as her heartbeat picked up. Thankfully her heartbeat distracted him from my own.  
"I'll just take that" Ella grabbed the box and kept her eyes glued to the floor as she walked past me. For some reason Stiles looked just as nervous as Ella walked towards him. What did Ella tell him?  
"That was strange" Derek said as he picked up another box. I shrugged as if I didn't get what he meant.  
"How about you go to daddy, so mommy can fix us some dinner?" I handed the baby to Derek.  
"Hi sweetie" Derek said as he sniffed the baby's head. _Hmmm.._ I still haven't gotten used to seeing a little piece of me in Derek's huge protective arms.

"Ella, a word please" I called from the kitchen. She kept her eyes on the floor as she entered the kitchen.  
"Why didn't you tell me you kept the box?" I whispered. I was hoping to God Derek didn't feel the need to use his superhearing right now; hopefully Angelica could keep him distracted.  
"I'm sorry Evy, I just thought we should have it in case we ever needed it" she looked up at me. Stiles entered the kitchen seconds later. Holding the box.  
"What the f.." Ella held her hand over my mouth so Derek couldn't hear my outburst. "You told Stiles?" I said calmer than before.  
"To be honest, Evy" Stiles looked at Ella before revealing more. She looked like she was about to strangle him. His eyes pleaded. "I knew way before you left Beacon Hills. Ella told me when we were kids. She showed me too" he continued. I hissed as a string of profanity escaped my lips.  
"You keep your mouths shut. OK? And keep the box shut. I don't want to hear a word of this again, got it?" I pointed at the teenagers.  
"What don't you want to hear of?" Derek asked as he entered the room. Oh fuck.  
"I insulted the Breakfast Club" Stiles lied smoothly; I guess all this time around werewolves taught him a thing or two about lying. Derek shook his head as he kissed my forehead in disbelief.  
So there are a few things about my past I haven't mentioned to Derek. But none of that matters, not now. It made no difference whether Derek knows who I used to be or not, or who my family is for that matter. I rationalized not telling him about all this stuff by the fact that he rarely spoke of his own family. Who knows, maybe Derek has some freaky secrets in his past too – doesn't mean he has to tell me? Oh my God. Does Derek have dark secrets? No. Snap out of it Evy. Focus.


End file.
